Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described the poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls over the past few months as an "unforgivable" crime amid reports of suspected poisonings across the country and the hospitalization of hundreds of girls. State media quoted Khamenei as saying, "The authorities must seriously pursue the case of the poisoning of schoolgirls. This is an unforgivable crime... The perpetrators of this crime must be harshly punished."