The Farda Briefing

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Several thousand schoolgirls have reportedly fallen sick in Iran in recent months amid claims by some officials that they were poisoned.

The authorities appeared to ignore reports of suspected poisonings that first emerged in November. But they have come under mounting public pressure to respond amid a surge in cases in recent weeks.

On March 7, the authorities announced the arrest of five people allegedly involved in the suspected poisonings. The arrests came a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that “if the poisoning of students is proven, those behind this crime should be sentenced to [death].”

Iran’s Health Ministry said on March 7 that around 10 percent of the affected students had been exposed to an unknown substance, without elaborating. The ministry attributed the vast majority of cases to “anxiety.”

Why It Matters: The suspected poisonings are the newest crisis to confront Iran’s clerical regime, which is already reeling from months of anti-government protests that erupted in September. There have also been recent demonstrations over rising inflation and the worsening economy.

The public backlash against the government over its handling of the suspected poisonings has also highlighted the deep mistrust of the regime. Some Iranians have accused the authorities of orchestrating the poisonings as an act of revenge against girls for participating in the antiestablishment protests, a claim rejected by the government.

What's Next: Angry teachers and parents have staged protests in a number of cities in recent days, including Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Gilan, and Saghez. Security forces dispersed the rallies by using water cannons and tear gas.

The authorities’ failure to conduct a transparent investigation and determine the cause of the illnesses could fuel further protests.

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Several Iranian civil and political activists who were recently released from prison by an amnesty decree have been summoned again. Photojournalist Alieh Motalebzadeh said she has been summoned twice by judicial officials since her release from prison, in a sign of how authorities continue to pressure her and other civil activists. On February 5, Khamenei issued an amnesty for "tens of thousands" of prisoners, including protesters arrested during the anti-regime rallies.

Iranian journalist Keyvan Samimi, who was recently released from prison, says anti-regime protests, which have subsided in recent weeks, are likely to surge again. In an interview with RFE/RL's Radio Farda, Samimi said protesters will not be satisfied until there is real change. “The protests are not over and are quite likely to rise again if something unexpected happens,” the 73-year-old Samimi said.

What We're Watching

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on March 4 that Iran had promised to restore cameras at its nuclear facilities and allow inspections of three undeclared nuclear sites where traces of uranium particles had been found.

But a joint statement later issued by the IAEA and Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) only included vague pledges by Tehran. AEOI spokesman Behruz Kamalvandi later denied that Tehran had pledged to reinstall IAEA cameras that Iran removed last year.

On March 6, Grossi conceded that any concessions by Iran to the IAEA largely depend on future talks.

Why It Matters: The vague joint statement appears to have been enough to prevent another resolution by the West condemning Iran.

In June, the IAEA adopted a resolution submitted by the West that criticized Tehran for failing to fully cooperate with the body. The censure angered Tehran, which warned of retaliation.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Iran's national currency, the rial, plummeted to new record lows on the country's unregulated market over the weekend, trading for 601,500 to the dollar, its lowest-ever rate. On February 28, the rial stood at 569,000 against the U.S. dollar, according to the foreign-exchange site Bonbast.com.

Iranian authorities have blamed the currency's fall on alleged attempts by the country's enemies to destabilize the Islamic republic amid several months of antiestablishment protests sparked by the September death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

"After the enemy failed in its plans in the streets...it naturally heightened its pressure on the economy," government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi told journalists on February 28, adding that some people allegedly behind the fall of the national currency inside the country had been arrested.

Why It Matters: The fall of the national currency, which has lost about 50 percent of its value since the beginning of the nationwide antiestablishment protests, comes amid Iran's international isolation over its brutal crackdown against demonstrators, controversial nuclear activities, and Tehran's deepening military ties with Russia, including the transfer of combat and suicide drones to boost Moscow's unprovoked war against Ukraine.

What's Next: The fall of the national currency has led to public anger among Iranians, who are already struggling to make ends meet amid soaring food prices. In recent days, many have attempted to purchase dollars at exchange offices to protect their savings, while steelworkers, firefighters, bakers, and retirees in Tehran and other cities have openly complained about rising inflation and skyrocketing prices. The deteriorating economic situation could lead to more protests, adding pressure on the establishment.

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• Health Minister Bahram Eynollahi said on February 28 that "a mild poison" was the cause of the mass illnesses of schoolgirls in Iran. Eynollahi was quoted by state media as saying that determining the origin of the unnamed poison was not within the scope of his ministry. His comments came amid increased public concern over a wave of sickness that has struck some 30 girls' schools in the religious city of Qom since late November. Authorities have suggested that the incidents could be intentional, fueling allegations that religious extremists or anti-regime groups could be responsible.
• Iranians are mourning the death of Pirouz, a 10-month-old Asiatic cheetah cub born in captivity in Iran, and many are blaming authorities for failing to save him. Pirouz ,who died of kidney failure this week in a veterinary hospital in Tehran, had become a symbol of national pride and hope for the millions of Iranians who closely followed updates about his progress and shared images of him online. Two of the cub's littermates died within days of their birth in late April, but Pirouz, which means "victorious," had survived and given hope for a critically endangered species. Pirouz and growing concerns about the survival of Asiatic cheetahs in Iran were highlighted in the lyrics of Baraye, a Grammy-winning song written by Shervin Hajipour that became the anthem of the Iranian protest movement.

What We're Watching

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have found uranium particles enriched up to 83.7 percent in Iran's underground Fordow nuclear site, a confidential report seen by Western news agencies said. "The report said that "discussions between the agency and Iran to clarify the matter are ongoing." The level of enriched uranium discovered is just short of the 90 percent needed for the production of nuclear weapons.

What's Next: The finding is likely to increase tensions over Iran's sensitive nuclear activities, which the country has expanded in past months. Tehran has maintained that it has not enriched uranium above 60 percent and that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, while acknowledging that "unintended fluctuations" during the enrichment process "may have occurred."

Kelsey Davenport, the director for nonproliferation policy at the U.S.-based Arms Control Association, said the discovery highlighted the need for additional monitoring of Iran's nuclear program. "Unlikely but not impossible that the 84 percent enriched particles were an accident. But by accident or intention, this incident underscores the critical need for additional monitoring & transparency," she said on Twitter.

The IAEA report follows comments by CIA chief William Burns, who said over the weekend that Iran's nuclear program had "advanced very far, to the point where it would only be a matter of weeks before they can enrich to 90 percent, if they chose to cross that line." Burns, however, added that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had apparently not made a decision on resuming the country's "weaponization program that we judge they suspended or stopped at the end of 2003."

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.