Dozens of Schoolgirls Hospitalized by Suspected Poisoning in Iran

Dozens of schoolgirls have been hospitalized in Iran following an apparent poisoning, the latest in a string of alleged attacks.

In the previous three months, hundreds of episodes of respiratory distress have been documented among Iranian schoolgirls, primarily in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, with some requiring hospitalization.

An official of the ministry stated on Sunday that the attacks were thought to be a planned attempt to close girls’ schools.

The Tasnim news agency claimed on Tuesday that a number of kids at the Khayyam girls’ school in the city of Pardis, Tehran province, were poisoned today at midday.

In addition to the hundreds of cases of poisoning reported since November in at least two additional locations, including Qom, the agency reported that 35 pupils had been transported to hospitals to date.

Sunday, children at a girls’ school in Borujerd were brought to the hospital following a similar incident, the fourth in the city’s western district in the previous week.

In the presence of the health minister, Bahram Eynollah, the Iranian parliament met on Tuesday to discuss the suspected attacks.

Advocates have connected the suspected attackers to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Boko Haram in the Sahel, both of which oppose the education of females.

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, Iran’s general prosecutor, launched a judicial probe into the incidents last week.