Poisoning of students spreads to small towns and villages, further revealing role of proxy agencies

Despite the widespread poisoning of schoolgirls and mounting evidence of the direct involvement of agencies under the command of the regime's supreme leader, Khamenei broke his silence at a recent tree-planting ceremony. "Intelligence and law enforcement officials and agencies should follow the case seriously," he said. If anyone is involved in this incident, the perpetrators and masterminds must be severely punished. If someone is identified and convicted as the perpetrator of this crime, there will be no pardon for him," he said.  (Khamenei's website - 6 March). 

In this regard, Mrs Maryam Rajavi said: “After a hundred days, Khamenei has finally woken up belatedly and is looking for a culprit for fear of the uprising. But there is no other culprit but himself and the organs and agents under his command. Otherwise, he should accept the international fact-finding mission we asked the UN for from day one. In the meantime, we must intensify our protests and demonstrations”. 

Of course, before Khamenei, his regime's president, Ebrahim Raissi, settled the issue at a cabinet meeting. Quoting the intelligence minister's report, Raissi said: "This is part of a larger conspiracy by the enemy to create social unrest, public fear and anxiety among the sons of our country. We must find the roots and deal with it seriously". (Tasnim Agency, 6 March). 

Eje'i added: "Undoubtedly, the enemy supports, incites and abuses certain social issues, such as issues against public modesty, against Sharia and against the law, of which the removal of the hijab is an example. The enemy is busy supporting, spreading and exploiting. This is different from individual mistakes and sins, and the role of the enemy is obvious. Therefore, measures will soon be taken in this area with the coordination of other bodies, the results of which you will see." (Mizan Judicial News Agency - 6 March). 

Ahmad Alam Al-Hoda, Khamenei's representative in Mashhad and Raissi's father-in-law, stated: "The system's security authority can no longer deal with this issue. On the issue of the hijab, all of you, brothers and sisters, must stand up and face the process of eliminating the hijab". (Entekhab website - 3 March). General Gholamreza Jalali, head of the regime's passive defence organisation, said that "the poisonings are caused by the direct intervention of the Nefagh (PMOI) and the enemies of the country". (Entekhab website - 5 March). 

Massoud Pezeshkian, a member of the regime's parliamentary health committee, said: "How is it possible that the security system, which investigates, monitors and stops other problems as soon as possible, does not see this case? The inability of the country's security system to deal with those responsible for the poisoning is questionable and unacceptable." (Didban Iran website - 6 March). Several journalists from the official media were reportedly arrested for writing about the case. 

The poisoning trend continued on Monday. The Faculty of Basic Sciences at Mohaghegh Ardebili University in Ardebil was attacked with poison gas. According to students, "first the electricity was cut off, which caused the ventilation system to stop, then the gas was released and we all ran out of the building, but some students were poisoned". Female students at Alimohammadi School in Ilam were poisoned by toxic gas and some were hospitalised. In Masal, 43 female students were poisoned and were taken to hospital. Khanzad school in Amol, Farideh Miri and Sabouri schools in Babol, Ressalat, Zainabieh and Shahid schools in Doroud, Maryam girls' school and three other schools in Makou, Kowsar and Nemouneh schools in Salmas, Islamic Science and Education College in Mashad, Lachini girls' primary school in Qushan, Hazrat Roqieh girls' secondary school in Marand, Andisheh Non-Profit School and Allameh Hali Girls' High School in Zahedan, Gogtappeh School in Mahabad, Nana Leh Girls' High School in Sanandaj, Abdol Reza Karmi Girls' High School in Harsine, Kermanshah, a school in Semnan, Isar Girls' High School in Chahr-e-Qods (Tehran), a school in Semnan and Fazilat High School in Hamedan, were targeted with poison gas. Parents of the students gathered in Divandarreh in front of the governorate and in Dehloran in front of the Hazrat Roqieh girls' primary school to protest the poisoning of their daughters. 

On Sunday, schools were attacked in at least 10 provinces and 30 cities, including Tehran, Khalkal, Ramhormoz, Nichapour, Shiraz, Gonbad-e-Kavous, Mashad, Yazd, Abadan, Ilam, Tabriz, Karadj, Isfahan Fouladshahr, Isfahan, Zandjan, Abhar, Kangavar, Bandar Khormoussi, Bandar Abbas, Garmdareh, Ahwaz, Hamadan, Yasoudj and Ivan-e Gharb. 

ISNA news agency wrote on Sunday, 5 March: "The vice president of Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences announced that the number of poisoned students in Khuzestan province has risen today to 700 people, of whom 500 have been discharged from hospital and 200 are still under observation." 

On Sunday, parents of the poisoned students in Kashan demonstrated in front of the rectorate. In Tehran, repressive forces and plainclothes officers detained parents demonstrating in front of the rectorate and brutally beat them. In Rasht, repressive forces fired tear gas and pepper spray at mothers who had gathered in front of the rectorate. They added pepper spray. In Ramhormoz, parents of the poisoned students gathered in front of the maternity hospital and clashed with security forces and Pasdaran.