World Decries Iran’s Poison Attacks On Schoolgirls, Urges Probe

Nourani-Nejad wrote in a commentary in the reformist daily Eteamadon Wednesday that a number of parallel institutions should be created to enhance the performance and dynamism of the Reform Front.

The politician's comment came one day after the chairman of the Reform Front Behzad Nabavi, nicknamed by Iran's political activists as "the old guerrilla" announced his resignation.

Nourani-Nejad wrote that the need for democracy in Iran demands a new coalition. "This comes while the front is expected to start a new round of activity, but no one expects any particular change in its approach.” He argued that the Reform Front does not show any inclination other than advocating minor reforms, calling for democratization, and representing active reformist parties.

The politician was probably referring to the rigidity of the structure and nature of the grouping which is often criticized to be operating like a clan rather than a political organization. One of the flaws in this system's traditional structure is that former President Mohammad Khatami is believed to be its leader while he has always rejected or ignored the suggestion.

Protests since September have shown that a significant and younger segment of Iranians no longer believe that the Islamic Republic can be reformed and they demand a secular and democratic political system.

The reform front lost its popularity mainly because of the performance of its members in the previous parliament (2016-2020). Ironically, the Reform Front's chairman at the time, Mohammad Reza Aref, kept silent in the parliament for four years! In the subsequent election the reformists won less than 3 percent of the votes partly because of his inaction.

Nourani-Nejad said that keeping the Front as it is will further weaken it or lead to fragmentation within the front. Meanwhile, he called for a more broad-based alliance among pro-reform groups and parties as a solution that might revive the grouping.

Reformist daily Arman-e Emrooz carried a commentary Wednesday about reactions to Reform Front chief's resignation. Many believe Nabavi's resignation was motivated by reasons that stemmed from within the front, although Nabavi himself has said: "My two year term of office as chairman has ended so I no longer have any position. I am also old and ailing and unable to contribute."

Some members however believe that the resignation is a reaction to radical positions adopted by some other reformists. Reformist activist Fatemeh Rakei said Nabavi has resigned probably because popular demands have become more intense and reformists should come up with a strategy to position themselves in the changing political environment.

Nabavi, born in 1942, a senior member of the leftist Islamic Revolution's Mujahedin Organization (IRMO) has held positions such as deputy prime minister and Minister of Industry in the 1980s. He was one of reformists who was arrested and reportedly tortured during the post-election unrest in 2009. During the recent protests Nabavi was one of the first politicians who took a clear stance and "called for the continuation of the reform movement but added that reformists cannot join the protests in the streets."

Another political activist Ahmad Hakimipour told Arman that many reformists had already decided that they needed essential changes and reshuffling. It is not clear where the school of thought that the Islamic Republic can be reformed is headed. He added that the reforms, as we know it, is not attractive for the younger generation who took to the streets during the past months.

Mostafa Rasteh Moghaddam, another reformist figure welcomed Nabavi's resignation as an event that can lead to some kind of rotation of elites and put an end to the Front's rigid structure and approaches.

The exchange rate of the dollar touched over 600,000 rials earlier on Sunday but the Iranian currency began to rise to close at about 540,000 against the dollar on Thursday, which is the last weekday in Iran. 

Despite the rebound, the rial is still down 100 percent compared to six months ago.

Iranian media is replete with different scenarios for the rebound, but the most plausible explanation still seems to have been the injection of a large amount of foreign currency into the market by the Central Bank of Iran. 

Another reason mentioned in Tehran media is a bit far-fetched guesswork that the country's foreign minister's trip to Geneva during the week and the possibility of resuming negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal injected some optimist into the market.

In an article earlier in the week, Jomhouri-e Eslami newspaper argued that fluctuations in the market are out of the hands of the government as the country’s economy is tied to the fate of Iran’s nuclear deal and its relations with the other countries. The paper and other media outlets speculated that foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s trip to attend a United Nations human rights meeting might also re-open the door to nuclear talks resulting in the lifting of US sanctions.

The paper described the extreme rise and fall of the dollar in only a few days as a lesson for the authorities, highlighting that the country can survive the current critical period through reviving the JCPOA and declaration of neutrality in the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as a practical approach to a balanced policy in international relations.

Reports about the imminent visit by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi to Iran for high-level meetings, purportedly slated for Friday, was another reason mentioned by the country’s media. The visit comes amid discussions with Tehran on the origin of uranium particles enriched to up to 83.7% purity, very close to weapons grade, at its Fordow enrichment plant. 

Remarks by CIA Director William Burns about Islamic Republic not pursuing an atomic bomb was also mentioned as being behind the halt in the devaluation of the rial. "We don't believe that the Supreme Leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program that we judge that they suspended or stopped at the end of 2003," Burns said. 

While merchants told Iran International earlier in the week that trading in Tehran markets had largely come to a halt as the rial was near its all-time low, the local media confirmed reports that the Central Bank of Iran intervened in the currency market to stop the freefall of the rial. On Sunday, the bank injected $700 million in UAE dirhams and the rial began to rise from its all-time low of 600,000 against dollar.

The rial’s plunge to 575,000 Saturday, February 25, exacerbated chaos in several of Iran's major markets and brought many businesses to near standstill. The rial fell from 35,000 to more than 600,000 against the US dollar in exactly five years. This led to very high inflation, officially at more than 50 percent, which has impoverished tens of millions of Iranians. An Iranian economist says the role of US sanctions in causing economic chaos in Iran has been significant.

All in all, the Islamic Republic seems incapable of major changes in the market as it is strapped for cash with some reports saying the government does not allow ATM machines to give cash more than the current limit of 2,000,000 rials – about $4, which barely can buy a hamburger today in the capital.

At least 58 schools in one-third of the country’s provinces have been attacked by unidentified gases since November 30 when the first case of poisoning among schoolgirls was reported in the religious city of Qom. Around 1,000 students have become ill with the mysteriously dispersed, unidentified fumes so far.

Qom, capital of a central province of the same name with 30 schools, Ardabil, capital of the northwestern Ardabil province with 9, and the capital Tehran with 8 schools lead the list of the most targeted cities.

The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations on Wednesday released a statement and urged teachers and the people of Iran to stage rallies on March 7 outside the parliament in Tehran and in front of the education department headquarters in other cities to demand urgent resolution of school attacks as well as teacher’s own problems including a wage increase for the next year that takes the factor of inflation into account.

Iranian Teachers' Trade Association, a national teachers’ union, in a statement Wednesday criticized the government for three months of denials of the attacks on girls’ schools.

“There is strong suspicion that the purpose of the attacks is quashing the Woman, Life, Freedom movement by instilling fear among girls and their families,” the statement said while demanding Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top religious figures to condemn the attacks expressly and decisively.

Iranian Teachers' Trade Association called the attacks “bioterrorism” and said expecting concrete action against perpetrators appears unrealistic given the authorities’ failure to offer concrete explanations about similar incidents, such as a spate of acid attacks in Esfahan in 2014 against women whose hijab was not deemed appropriate. Authorities never pursued religious fundamentalists who were suspected in the acid attacks.

In the past few years, the union whose members are highly critical of the regime has organized several nationwide teachers’ protests and strikes against low wages and for recognition of equal rights with other civil servants. Members, including some of the union’s leaders such as Rasoul Bodaghi, are often subjected to harassment, prosecution and imprisonment for their union activities. 

Iranian Teachers’ House, another teachers’ association, in a statement Wednesday also demanded Khamenei to be accountable for the attacks that it called “state-sponsored terrorism and said “the theory that the state is behind the terror [attacks]” would be more plausible if he did not publicly address the issue.

“Targeting girls’ schools is a malicious act against the progressive Woman, Life, Freedom slogan [of protesters]. Obviously, the leader and the security and military bodies under his command will be responsible for any incidents [that happen],” the statement said.

Iranian Teacher’s Islamic Association, Iran Teachers’ Association, and Teacher’s Society of the Islamic Iran also wrote a joint letter to Interior Minister Ahmad Vahid who was tasked with probing the incidents of poisoning in schools by President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday. The three groups also requested a permit to stage a rally outside the ministry in Tehran on Wednesday.

Opposition parties and groups often complain their requests for rally permits are always ignored by the ministry.

In an Instagram post Thursday, the office of Unicef in Tehran said schoolgirls’ poisoning could negatively impact the high education coverage among children, especially girls, achieved over the past decades and offered to provide any needed support.

In a letter sent to Radio Farda, the Persian Service of Radio Free Europe in Prague, Narges Mohammadi wrote: "In the past few months, detainees have been brought to the women's ward of Evin prison, and … subjected to sexual assault and physical torture. We have witnessed the traces left on their bodies.”

The civil activist, who has been in prison since 2016, also referred to the case of the elderly Baha'i poet and writer, Mahvash Shahriari, who has served 10 years in prison, and was recently arrested without any legal documents against her.

“She spent five months in solitary confinement [and] has suffered mental and physical torture,” emphasized Mohammadi.

She further expressed readiness "to testify in any place" as a "witness" regarding sexual assault and physical torture in prisons.

Amid the mass arrest of protesters within the past five months, numerous reports have been published regarding rape and assault on both men and women by regime officials in prisons, the first report published by CNN in November.

In response to the investigation, the foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, described the reports as "biased and false".

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a challenging interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, herself of Iranian origin, on Wednesday.

Amanpour conducted the interview without a hijab, in support of Mahsa Amini who died in custody after being arrested for the inappropriate wearing of her hijab. The event sparked mass protests since September, characterized by the slogan, 'woman, life, freedom' as women call for equal rights under the Islamic regime.

More than 500 civilians have since been killed in clashes with security forces with thousands more arrested.

Amanpour raised the issue of the alleged rapes of male and female prisoners at the IRGC detention center, which CNN had verified through its sources. Amir-Abdollahian claimed the reports were "biased and incorrect", stating that he cannot confirm the issue and that there are many such "baseless" claims.

The foreign minister's denial comes as videos of police officers assaulting protesting women in the streets continue to be widely published on social media.

“Women in Iran have all the necessary required freedoms within the framework of the law,” he claimed, calling CNN’s interview was “a confrontation”.

He said: “This is not the way to conduct an interview.”