Biological terror – serial poisoning of high school girls in Iran
Girls’ schools in Iran have been targeted with biological attacks in what many believe is a form of retaliation for their participation in anti-regime protests. Hundreds of students have fallen ill. What’s even more alarming is that this isn’t an isolated incident – it’s happened all across the country, affecting 5,000 students at least. The chemical attacks are not only causing instant harm to innocent students but endangering their health in the future.
The widespread and systematic poisoning of female students across the country is an unprecedented crime that only the inhuman clerical regime can commit.
So what’s going on, and why are these attacks happening?
What’s actually happening?
First, let’s take a look at what’s actually happening.
The poisoning of female students in Iran has been ongoing for more than three months, with incidents reported in provinces all across the country.
The first case was reported in Qom, on November 30, 2022. The chemical attacks first spread to dozens of schools in that city without any action taken by the Education Ministry or other government officials.
During the heat of protests, the poisoning incidents did not catch much attention and the regime officials totally denied the poisoning of girls.
Total denial
Initially, for two and a half months, regime officials denied or gave false information about the poisonings.
On February 6, Siamak Mohebi, the vice president of Qom University of Medical Sciences, stated that the cause of the incidents was the rapid respiration and stress of female students, and that their blood samples were normal.
On February 15, the Minister of Education, Youssef Nouri, claimed that the poisoning was caused by rumors that scared people and students, and that there was no issue. Mohsen Safai Farahani, a member of the regime’s parliament, also said that the incident had been exaggerated.
The situation led to controversy, with Donyaye Eghtesad reporting on February 10 that the poisonings were reminiscent of the acid attacks on women in Isfahan, which had not yet been resolved, leaving the victims in limbo.
Spread of the toxic gas poisoning and protests
As the gas poisoning spread throughout the country, even to elementary schools, college dormitories, and metro stations, families of poisoned students in Qom held a protest outside the governor’s office on February 14, demanding an official response. Teachers and families of poisoned students in other areas also took to the streets.
At least 5,000 students in 230 schools across 25 provinces have been poisoned, with mostly high school girls being affected. Symptoms include nausea, headaches, coughing, breathing difficulties, and heart palpitations.
One 11-year-old student, Fatemeh Razaei, reportedly died due to the poisoning, and there are unconfirmed reports of two elementary school children and a little boy also dying.
Deliberate hands at work
As protests continued and the biological attacks spread, officials eventually began to acknowledge the serial poisoning of girls.
On February 20, the regime’s Prosecutor General wrote to the Qom prosecutor acknowledging reports of intentional criminal actions.
A newsletter linked to the Fadaiyan-e Velayat group, affiliated with mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, declared that girls’ education is forbidden and threatened to spread the poisoning if girls’ schools weren’t shut down.
On February 26, a member of the parliamentary Health Committee confirmed that the poisoning was deliberate and criticized the Minister of Intelligence for failing to submit a report to parliament.
Intelligence services trying to cover up
The medical staff in Qom determined that the poisoning was caused by a microbial gas. But two intelligence agencies intervened and silenced the issue. Members of IRGC intelligence were present in hospitals. They took the results of the children’s blood tests to their own laboratory and left the staff in the dark about the results.
Three and a half months into these biological attacks, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry has claimed to have arrested some 100 persons involved, and the state TV aired forced confessions of a father and a daughter seeking to distort the regime’s image.
The Intelligence Ministry made the ridiculous claim that some of these individuals “acted out of mischief or adventure and used smelly substances to close classrooms.”
People ask: How can the security system, which investigates, follows up and arrests in the shortest possible time when a problem occurs, not see this case?… The failure of the country’s security system to deal with the agents of poisoning is questionable and unacceptable.
What do the evidence suggest?
A specialist in one of Tehran’s prestigious hospitals was cited by the media as saying, “combined gases are being used for poisoning and are being used very intelligently, and access to these gases is not possible for ordinary people.”
In the meantime, it has been reported that “Doctors and nurses are afraid to provide any information. They are worried about the consequences of this information… Some say that they were told not to talk and not to give information, orders that are said to have come from higher authorities and from the Ministry of Health itself. None of the officials of this ministry are willing to give an interview and provide an explanation about what happened.”
All evidence indicates that the clerical regime is resorting to biological terror to retaliate against girls who actively participated in the anti-regime protests over the past six months.
The ongoing tragedy of the serial poisoning of innocent girls in Iran would not be possible without the active involvement of the IRGC or the Ministry of Intelligence and other state bodies.
Call for international investigation
The serial chemical attacks on school girls are a serious breach of international law. The use of biological weapons is strictly prohibited by the Biological Weapons Convention, which Iran has signed.
The NCRI President elect Maryam Rajavi has called for an international investigation of this case.
The heinous actions are a substitute or supplement for the work of the so-called “Morality Police” to scare people, especially young women, and to prevent them from participating in uprisings and social protests.
