TEHRAN: Twenty Iranian schoolgirls were hospitalized on Tuesday after the latest in a series of mysterious poison attacks that have affected thousands of pupils in recent months, according to state media.
The girls, who attend a high school in Tabriz, the capital of the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan, suffered from shortness of breath and were immediately treated by emergency experts who were dispatched to the scene.
All of the students’ vital signs and general conditions were reported as good.
Since late November, over 5,000 Iranian students have reported experiencing fainting, nausea, shortness of breath, and other symptoms after reporting unpleasant odours.
Anger among Iranian students and parents
In total, approximately 230 schools across 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces have been targeted in these attacks, sparking fear and anger among students and parents alike. The cause of the incidents remains unexplained.
Following the poisonings, Iran announced more than 100 arrests, charging that the unidentified perpetrators may have links with hostile groups.
Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has directed that the perpetrators of the “unforgivable crime” be tracked down without mercy.
The poisonings started two months into the protests that swept Iran after the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested over an alleged violation of women’s dress rules.
Schools had just resumed classes on Monday following the two-week Nowruz holiday.
The latest incident comes as Iranian schools struggle to cope with the ongoing wave of poison attacks, with parents and students expressing frustration and anxiety about the lack of progress in identifying and stopping the perpetrators.
