THE President of Iran Ibrahim Raisi today blamed enemies of the Islamic Republic for the incidents mass poisonings in girls’ schools throughout the country, while the UN he asked to be conducted “transparent research” in order to clarify this case.

The so far unexplained poisonings of more than 30 schools in at least four cities began in November in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Qom, prompting some parents to pull their children out of school.

Iran’s health minister said on Tuesday that hundreds of girls in different schools have been poisoned, and some politicians have argued that the girls may be targeted by religious groups opposed to girls’ education.

Raishi, addressing a crowd in southern Iran today in a speech broadcast live on state television, blamed Iran’s enemies for the poisonings.

“This is a plan to wreak havoc in the country as the enemy seeks to instill fear and insecurity in parents and students,” he said.

He did not say who those enemies are, although Iranian leaders routinely blame the US and Israel, among others, for hostile actions against Tehran.

In a separate development, a senior Iranian official said a fuel tanker found next to a school in a Tehran suburb, which had also been spotted in two other cities, was possibly involved in the poisonings.

Authorities seized the tanker and arrested its driver, Reza Karimi Saleh, deputy governor of Pardis suburb, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

He is the first government official to report an arrest in connection with the poisoning spree.

According to him, the same tanker had also been found in Qom and Boruzerd, Lorestan province in western Iran, where students were also poisoned. He did not provide further details.

“Guards in a parking lot where the tanker was parked were also poisoned,” Saleh said, referring to Pardis.

The UN calls for a transparent investigation

The case has caused a wave of outrage in the country, where many denounce the silence of the authorities in the face of the growing number of schools recording such attacks.

In Geneva, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today called for a transparent investigation into the attacks.

“We are particularly concerned about these allegations that girls are being deliberately targeted under what appear to be mysterious circumstances,” said Ravina Samdasani, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She noted that the findings of a government investigation must be made public and the perpetrators brought to justice.

The World Health Organization (WHO) for its part is in contact with the Iranian health authorities.

WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said the agency is in contact with national health authorities and health professionals about the incidents and is “using other means to better understand the event” so we have better evidence.

A little earlier, German Foreign Minister Analena Burbock today called for an investigation to “find out” all incidents of poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran.