Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on Iranian officials to seriously investigate the poisoning case of schoolgirls, and urged authorities to hand the perpetrators behind the heinous crime the severest punishment possible.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the National Tree-Planting Day on Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei urged the officials to follow up on the poisoning case of students seriously.
The Leader described the poison attacks affecting hundreds of girls at schools across several cities in Iran as "a major and unforgivable crime".
"If it is proved that the students were poisoned, the perpetrators of this crime should be severely punished," he stressed.
The Supreme Leader underscored that “no amnesty” will be offered to such people.
During the past three months, hundreds of cases of respiratory distress have been reported among Iranian schoolgirls in several cities, with some needing hospital treatment.
Western and foreign-based Persian-language media have been busy disseminating rumors and misinformation to fuel concern in society, especially among parents whose children have been affected.
Denouncing the mysterious poisoning cases across Iran as a "crime and an inhumane act" committed by the enemies, President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi has called for accurate and timely information on the incidents.
Iran's president warned that the act 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 chief executive said the enemy, as part of a psychological war, is “seeking to create stress and anxiety among students and parents so that chaos is formed”.
He stressed the importance of finding the main perpetrators of the act and dealing with them seriously.