Teenage girls have already been poisoned in more than 100 Iranian schools. — © SalamPix/ABACA
The Iranian secret service does not believe that an organized network is behind the mysterious wave of poisonings among schoolgirls. The service does assume a national hysteria, it sounds in a report that the Iranian media reported on Friday.
For months Iran has been plagued by mysterious poisonings in schools. The first cases were reported in November and meanwhile, according to Iranian media, there are thousands of incidents.
The Iranian secret service now says in the report that the poisonings are not the work of an organized network of perpetrators. Traces of pepper spray and stink bombs were also found, instead of toxic substances. The agency says it is much more a national hysteria. It is not possible to independently verify that statement.
The secret service also accuses enemies of Iran, especially Israel and the United States, of playing a role in sparking further protests in the country and putting pressure on the government. Some people are said to have been arrested, but the report does not give details. The service also says the schoolgirls were able to leave hospitals after several hours.
In Iran, the report is met with skepticism. Parents and relatives believe that the government has failed.
The incidents have put further pressure on the Iranian government after protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died on September 16 last year after being captured by vice police, resulted in the country’s worst political crisis in decades. The Iranian authorities violently suppress the protests. Critics also think the poisonings are revenge for the manifestations.