TEHRAN (Iran News) –Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called the suspected poisoning of students in Iran’s schools an “unforgivable and big” crime, calling on authorities to seriously pursue the issue.
“If it is proven that the students were poisoned, the perpetrators of this crime must be severely punished. There will be no amnesty for them,” the Leader stressed.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks on Monday as he planted saplings to mark Iran’s national Arbor Day.
“Officials should seriously pursue the issue of students poisoning. This is a big and unforgivable crime,” the Leader said.
Since November 2022, some Iranian students have reported symptoms of poisoning while in school. The outbreak started in the central city of Qom before expanding to other cities.
In most cases, students suffered respiratory problems, nausea, fatigue and dizziness, while some were hospitalized.
Referring to the importance of planting saplings in preserving the environment, Ayatollah Khamenei called for planting forest trees in addition to fruit trees and said that the wood trade has a significant impact on the country’s economy.
Ayatollah Khamenei, elsewhere in his remarks, called on the officials to solve the problems of the Iranian people through every economic means possible.
“The current state of the country is the outcome of a single-product economy, which has problems in terms of the value of the national currency and inflation,” he argued.
Referring to the efforts of the officials to resolve the problems, the Leader said they need to “use all possible economic ways so that they can reach the right solution to remedy the people’s problems.”
He also said that declaration of the preservation of the environment is one of the outstanding features of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Constitution, stressing that “no one should violate this law.”
The 15th day of Esfand (the last month of the Iranian calendar year), which will end on March 20, is National Arbor Day also known as “National Tree Planting Day”.
Meanwhile President Ebrahim Raisi said the issue of schoolgirl poisonings across Iran amounts to a “crime and an inhumane act” committed by the enemies against the nation.
“The enemy’s new conspiracy of creating fear in the hearts of students… and their parents is a crime and an inhumane act,” Raisi said in an address to a cabinet session.
The president ordered Iranian officials to swiftly probe into the case and inform people about its whereabouts to allay their concerns.
He emphasized that the move is “another link in the chain of the enemy’s plots” which has been carried out to create chaos in the country, manipulate public opinion, and instill fear among the students.
The Iranian chief executive stressed the importance of finding the main perpetrators of the act and dealing with them seriously.
