More than 5,000 Iranian schoolchildren have been affected by the poisoning that targeted mainly female students since late November, according to lawmakers investigating the case.
The mysterious poisoning has gripped Iran, causing a wave of anger and demanding action from the authorities.
They also raised international concerns and Western calls for an independent investigation, especially since the first case was reported after the start of nationwide protests sparked by the death of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code. for women.
Iran poisoning: 230 schools affected
Many schools have been affected, with students suffering symptoms ranging from shortness of breath to nausea and vertigo after reporting an “unpleasant” smell on school premises. Some have been hospitalized.
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“Twenty-five provinces and about 230 schools have been affected, and more than 5,000 girls and boys have been poisoned,” Mohammad-Hassan Asafari, a member of the parliamentary fact-finding committee, told ISNA news agency on Monday.
“Various tests are carried out to identify the type and cause of poisoning. Until now, there is no specific information about the type of poison used.
Calling the poisoning an “unforgivable crime”, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered Monday that the perpetrators be tracked down “without mercy”.
President Ebrahim Raisi tasked the interior minister last week with providing continuous updates on the investigation.
No arrests have been made yet
The ministry has announced no arrests so far, although new cases continue to be reported.
“Less than five percent of the students who were transferred to the hospital, were found to have irritants that affected their health,” the ministry said in its latest update Monday.
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“Fortunately, so far, no toxic or dangerous substances have been found in the students who were transferred to the medical center.”
The latest case – reported by ISNA news agency – involved 40 students, all girls, in the southeastern city of Zahedan.
The White House called Monday for a “credible independent investigation” into the poisoning.
The first case was reported in Iran’s Shiite clerical capital of Qom in late November, a month after Amini’s protests spread to universities and schools.
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On Tuesday, Tehran prosecutor Ali Salehi warned “those who spread lies and rumors” about the poisoning that “will be dealt with firmly and legally,” the court’s Mizan Online website reported.