Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the poisoning of schoolgirls across the country an “unforgivable crime” in his first comments on the issue that has fuelled anger against the government at home and abroad.
Speaking at a tree-planting ceremony at his office, Mr Khamenei said authorities “should seriously pursue the issue of student poisoning”.
“This is a big and unforgivable crime,” he said in comments published by state media.
“If it is proven that the students were poisoned, the perpetrators of this crime should be severely punished. There will be no amnesty for these people.”
Reports of poisonings at girls' schools began five months ago as nationwide anti-government protests surged following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman arrested by the morality police in September.
More than 1,000 schoolgirls have been affected, according to officials, with new cases reported on Saturday.
Supporters of the protest movement have accused the government, and specifically the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which answers only to Mr Khamenei, of being behind the poisonings.
On Wednesday, President Ebrahim Raisi ordered an inquiry into the poisonings.
Footage posted on social media of suspected victims shows girls crying, screaming and coughing, with many struggling to breathe.
An Iranian journalist who reported on the poisonings, Ali Portbatabei, has been arrested, Radio Farda reported on Monday.
He lived in Qom where more than a dozen schoolgirls were taken to hospital after a suspected poisoning attack in November.
Also on Monday, Iran's judicial chief said each province would open an office to summon “people who spread lies” about the poisoning cases, saying people “aligned with the enemy” would be “severely punished”.
Schoolgirls, many of whom have openly defied the regime during the anti-government protests, have been the targets of security forces leading the crackdown on the demonstrations.
A schoolgirl died in October during a raid on her school in Ardabil, where teachers said students were attacked after chanting pro-protest slogans.
Teenage girls have also been brutally killed by security forces while protesting in the streets, such as the case of Nika Shakarami.
A group of Iranian medical professionals in the US and Europe have urged international organisations to investigate what they described as “premeditated attacks” by the regime “using substances that are applied in chemical warfare”.
“As physicians, we view this crisis in Iran as a potential mass casualty scenario,” they said in an open letter shared on social media.
“The Islamic Republic appears to be incapable or unwilling to manage this disaster,” the letter continued, saying regime officials “either deny or downplay these disturbing occurrences”.
Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Ejeni has also threatened tough action against women who breach Iran's strict dress code, repeating its hardline stance that has provoked unprecedented anger against authorities.
Measures will soon be taken in co-ordination with security forces against people disobeying “public modesty” laws that require women wear a headscarf in public.
“You will see the result,” Mr Ejeni said in remarks carried by the judiciary's Mizan news agency.
The death of Ms Amini, who died while in police custody for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely, was the catalyst for the popular protests that erupted after her funeral in western Iran.
The protests spread across the country, with women bravely taking to the streets with no head covering to protest against their widely curtailed freedoms, which extend from dress code to being unable to travel out of the country without permission from a male guardian.
Several people have been executed and more than 18,000 people imprisoned for participating in the movement.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
