Connect with us

Regional

School poisonings, if deliberate, deserve death: Iran leader

Published

on

Iran’s supreme leader said on Monday that if a series of suspected poisonings at girls’ schools are proven to be deliberate the culprits should be sentenced to death for committing an “unforgivable crime.”

It was the first time Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, has spoken publicly about the suspected poisonings, which began late last year and have led to hundreds of children falling ill, Associated Press reported.

Iranian officials only acknowledged the poisonings in recent weeks and have provided no details on who may be behind the attacks or what chemicals – if any – have been used. Iran has no history of religious extremists targeting women’s education.

“If the poisoning of students is proven, those behind this crime should be sentenced to capital punishment and there will be no amnesty for them,” Khamenei said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Authorities have acknowledged suspected attacks at more than 50 schools across 21 of Iran’s 30 provinces since November.

Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said over the weekend that “suspicious samples” had been gathered by investigators, without elaborating. He called on the public to remain calm and accused unnamed enemies of inciting fear to undermine the Islamic Republic.

Vahidi said at least 52 schools had been affected by suspected poisonings, while Iranian media reports have put the number of schools at over 60. At least one boy’s school reportedly has been affected.

Videos of upset parents and schoolgirls in emergency rooms with IVs in their arms have flooded social media, AP reported.

Iran has imposed stringent restrictions on independent media since the outbreak of nationwide protests in September, making it difficult to determine the nature and scope of the suspected poisonings.

On Monday, Iranian media reported that authorities arrested a Qom-based journalist, Ali Pourtabatabaei, who had been regularly reporting on the suspected poisonings.

The children affected in the poisonings have reportedly complained of headaches, heart palpitations, feeling lethargic or otherwise unable to move. Some described smelling tangerines, chlorine or cleaning agents.

Reports suggest at least 400 schoolchildren have fallen ill since November. Vahidi, the interior minister, said in his statement that two girls remain in hospital because of underlying chronic conditions. There have been no reported fatalities.

As more attacks were reported Sunday, videos were posted on social media showing children complaining about pain in the legs, abdomen and dizziness. State media have mainly referred to these as “hysteric reactions.”

Regional

Fragile ceasefire holding, Trump envoy says peace talks with Iran ‘promising’

Pezeshkian also told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Tehran was ready to resolve differences with the U.S.

Published

on

The ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding on Wednesday a day after both countries signalled that their air war had ended, at least for now, Reuters reported.

Each side claimed victory on Tuesday after 12 days of war, which the U.S. joined with airstrikes in support of Israel to take out Iran’s uranium-enrichment facilities.

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said late on Tuesday that talks between the United States and Iran were “promising” and that Washington was hopeful for a long-term peace deal.

“We are already talking to each other, not just directly but also through interlocutors. I think that the conversations are promising. We are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran,” Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” show.

“Now it’s for us to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace agreement, and I am very confident that we are going to achieve that,” he added.

Trump said over the weekend that U.S. stealth bombers had “obliterated” Iran’s programme to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its enrichment activities are for civilian purposes only.

According to the report, which was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the strikes sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities, but did not collapse underground buildings, said one of the people familiar with its findings.

Some centrifuges remained intact, the Washington Post said, citing an unnamed person familiar with the report.

Trump’s administration told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that its weekend strikes had “degraded” Iran’s nuclear programme, short of Trump’s assertion that the facilities had been “obliterated.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the attack had removed the nuclear threat against Israel and he was determined to thwart any attempt by Tehran to revive its weapons program.

“We have removed two immediate existential threats to us: the threat of nuclear annihilation and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles,” he said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country had successfully ended the war in what he called a “great victory,” according to Iranian media.

Pezeshkian also told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Tehran was ready to resolve differences with the U.S., according to official news agency IRNA.

Israel launched the surprise air war on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq, Reuters reported.

Iran, which denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites and cities.

Iran has arrested 700 people accused of ties with Israel during the 12-day conflict, the state-affiliated Nournews reported on Wednesday and Iran executed three men on Wednesday, convicted of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad spy agency and smuggling equipment used in an unnamed assassination, the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.

Israel’s military lifted restrictions on activity across the country at 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, and officials said Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main airport near Tel Aviv, had reopened. Iran’s airspace likewise will be reopened, state-affiliated Nournews reported.

Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday, finding some respite after plummeting in the last two sessions, as investors assessed the stability of the ceasefire and the diminished prospect of an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The truce appeared fragile: Both Israel and Iran took hours to acknowledge they had accepted the ceasefire and accused each other of violating it.

Trump scolded both sides but aimed especially stinging criticism at Israel, telling the close U.S. ally to “calm down now.” He later said Israel called off further attacks at his command.

Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said he told his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, that his country would respect the ceasefire unless Iran violated it. Pezeshkian likewise said Iran would honour the ceasefire as long as Israel did, according to Iranian media.

Israeli armed forces chief of staff Eyal Zamir said a “significant chapter” of the conflict had concluded but the campaign against Iran was not over. He said the military would refocus on its war against Iran-backed Hamas militants in Gaza.

Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed in their country by Israeli strikes and 4,746 injured. Iran’s retaliatory bombardment killed 28 people in Israel, the first time its air defences were penetrated by large numbers of Iranian missiles, read the report.

Continue Reading

Regional

Qatar summons Iranian ambassador over airspace violation, condemns Al-Udeid attack

Published

on

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar summoned on Tuesday Ali Salehabadi, ambassador of Iran to Qatar, to formally protest what it described as a serious breach of its sovereignty.

During the meeting, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, strongly condemned Monday’s attack on Al-Udeid Air Base carried out by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Qatari government labeled the act as a “blatant violation” of Qatar’s airspace and territorial sovereignty, as well as a breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.

The Ministry reaffirmed that Qatar reserves the right to respond to the incident in line with international law.

Al Muraikhi expressed Qatar’s disappointment, emphasizing that such actions run counter to the principle of good neighborliness and the historically close ties between the two nations.

He emphasized the urgent need to immediately return to dialogue and diplomatic channels to resolve disputes and outstanding issues, avoid escalation, and halt military operations in an effort to promote regional and international stability.

Continue Reading

Regional

Qatar Prime Minister addresses regional tensions, condemns Iranian attack on US base near Doha

Discussing the recent developments in the Middle East, Al Thani reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to diplomacy and mediation efforts in the region.

Published

on

Qatar PM Al Thani

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, delivered a live press conference in Doha this afternoon, Tuesday June 24, and said Iran’s attack on the US base near Doha was unacceptable.

Discussing the recent developments in the Middle East, Al Thani reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to diplomacy and mediation efforts in the region.

“The attack on the state of Qatar is an unacceptable act, especially as Qatar has been making great diplomatic efforts in order to de-escalate the situation,” said Sheikh Mohammed, adding Doha was “taken by surprise” by the move from what it considers a “neighbourly” country.

He praised the Qatari armed forces for “fending off the attack”, saying they shot down all the Iranian-deployed missiles except one.

The conference comes in the wake of heightened tensions following Iran’s missile strikes on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday.

Qatar confirmed that while the majority of the missiles were intercepted, one missile impacted the base without causing casualties. The Qatari government condemned the attack and called for all parties to return to the negotiating table to prevent further escalation.

In his address, Al Thani emphasized the importance of dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders to ensure regional stability and security.

He also reiterated Qatar’s readiness to facilitate discussions aimed at de-escalating the current tensions.

 

 

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025 Ariana News. All rights reserved!