The story: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has demanded that anyone responsible for the suspected poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran be severely punished. Meanwhile, the Iranian chief justice has vowed that any perpetrators will face a charge that carries the death penalty. This comes as a rising number of schools have been targeted by reported poisonings since Nov. 2022, with no suspects arrested so far.

The coverage: Khamenei stated on the sidelines of a tree-planting event in Tehran on Mar. 6 that it was certain that "some people or groups" are "somehow" involved in the incidents.

• The top official in Iran said that "if the poisoning of students is proven," those responsible "should receive the maximum punishment."
  
  
• Khamenei added that the poisoning of students was "not a small crime" and said anyone involved would not receive amnesty.

Hours after Khamenei's comments, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei pledged to hold "fast-track" trials for anyone charged with...