A recent report in Psychology Today<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/its-catching/202303/psychology-and-the-mystery-of-the-poisoned-schoolgirls"> </a>suggests&nbsp;that the alleged "poisoning" of young school girls in Iran may appear to be state terrorism, but might actually be&nbsp;psychogenic in nature.&nbsp;It follows&nbsp;a pattern: A mass illness, a media frenzy, and accusations of state terrorism.

The <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/its-catching/202303/psychology-and-the-mystery-of-the-poisoned-schoolgirls">report&nbsp;</a>says that Iran's&nbsp;case of "poisoning" should be taken with a pinch of salt as&nbsp;there is no proof of a poisonous chemical, there have been no fatalities, and almost all sufferers have recovered quickly.

There are startling similarities between the events in Iran, Afghanistan, and the West Bank where female students in Islamic schools have in different time periods&nbsp;exhibited symptoms like&nbsp;headaches, nausea, abdominal pain, and blurred vision, and have fainted&nbsp;and were taken to the hospital.&nbsp;

In line with Iran's "poisoning"&nbsp;case, despite many medical examinations which have included blood testing, Iranian authorities have not made any arrests and been unable to identify a chemical agent.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-says-it-has-discovered-huge-deposits-of-lithium-critical-for-electric-mobility-568617">Iran says it has discovered huge deposits of Lithium critical for electric mobility</a>

Experts&nbsp;say that there is a bigger psychological factor at play. The girls in all three cases - Afghanistan, West Bank and Palestine - were suffering from a mass psychogenic illness, as per&nbsp;Psychology Today.&nbsp;Another study conducted by the World Health Organization that looked at comparable outbreaks at 22 schools nationwide and analysed blood, urine, and water also came to the same conclusion.&nbsp;

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank in March and April 1983, approximately a thousand Palestinian schoolgirls experienced headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, and weakness.

The incident generated worrying allegations of widespread poisonings and made international news. It gave rise to accusations that the girls had been poisoned by Israeli operatives or extremist civilians.

The outbreak's original instance, which happened at a school, was ultimately linked to a lavatory odour.

However, it was determined by two different studies published in The Lancet that the sickness was psychological. Another examination, which was reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry, concluded that the outbreak was significantly influenced by an Israeli newspaper article in which a writer falsely claimed that some of the sufferers had become blind.

<h2>What happened in Iran?</h2>

Dozens of schoolgirls in Iran were taken to the hospital on Tuesday following a mysterious poisoning, the most recent in a string of such 'attacks', as reported by AFP.&nbsp;

There have been hundreds of cases of respiratory distress among Iranian schoolgirls in the last three months, mostly in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, with some requiring hospitalisation.

Iran's supreme leader Ali&nbsp;Khamenei said on Monday that poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls in recent months is an "unforgivable" crime amid the spread of suspected poisoning across the country with hundreds of girls hospitalised.

"Authorities should seriously pursue the issue of students' poisoning. This is an unforgivable crime... the perpetrators of this crime should be severely punished," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by state media.

According to a government official who spoke to the Guardian, the attacks were likely a calculated attempt to compel the closure of girls' schools.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

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A recent report in Psychology Today suggests that the alleged "poisoning" of young school girls in Iran may appear to be state terrorism, but might actually be psychogenic in nature.

A recent report in Psychology Today suggests that the alleged "poisoning" of young school girls in Iran may appear to be state terrorism, but might actually be psychogenic in nature. It follows a pattern: A mass illness, a media frenzy, and accusations of state terrorism. The report says that Iran's case of "poisoning" should be taken with a pinch of salt as there is no proof of a poisonous chemical, there have been no fatalities, and almost all sufferers have recovered quickly. There are startling similarities between the events in Iran, Afghanistan, and the West Bank where female students in Islamic schools have in different time periods exhibited symptoms like headaches, nausea, abdominal pain, and blurred vision, and have fainted and were taken to the hospital. In line with Iran's "poisoning" case, despite many medical examinations which have included blood testing, Iranian authorities have not made any arrests and been unable to identify a chemical agent. ALSO READ | Iran says it has discovered huge deposits of Lithium critical for electric mobility Experts say that there is a bigger psychological factor at play. The girls in all three cases - Afghanistan, West Bank and Palestine - were suffering from a mass psychogenic illness, as per Psychology Today. Another study conducted by the World Health Organization that looked at comparable outbreaks at 22 schools nationwide and analysed blood, urine, and water also came to the same conclusion. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank in March and April 1983, approximately a thousand Palestinian schoolgirls experienced headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, and weakness. The incident generated worrying allegations of widespread poisonings and made international news. It gave rise to accusations that the girls had been poisoned by Israeli operatives or extremist civilians. The outbreak's original instance, which happened at a school, was ultimately linked to a lavatory odour. However, it was determined by two different studies published in The Lancet that the sickness was psychological. Another examination, which was reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry, concluded that the outbreak was significantly influenced by an Israeli newspaper article in which a writer falsely claimed that some of the sufferers had become blind. What happened in Iran? Dozens of schoolgirls in Iran were taken to the hospital on Tuesday following a mysterious poisoning, the most recent in a string of such 'attacks', as reported by AFP. There have been hundreds of cases of respiratory distress among Iranian schoolgirls in the last three months, mostly in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, with some requiring hospitalisation. Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Monday that poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls in recent months is an "unforgivable" crime amid the spread of suspected poisoning across the country with hundreds of girls hospitalised. "Authorities should seriously pursue the issue of students' poisoning. This is an unforgivable crime... the perpetrators of this crime should be severely punished," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by state media. According to a government official who spoke to the Guardian, the attacks were likely a calculated attempt to compel the closure of girls' schools. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Mystery of the 'poisoned' schoolgirls in Iran: A case of  mass psychogenic illness?

The United States accused Russia on Monday of blocking international inspectors from reaching the site of a suspected poison gas attack in Syria and said Russians or Syrians may have tampered with evidence on the ground.

Moscow denied the charge and blamed delays on retaliatory U.S.-led missile strikes on Syria on Saturday.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron faced criticism from political opponents over their decisions to take part in the air strikes.

Syria and Russia deny unleashing poison gas on April 7 during their offensive on Douma, which ended with the recapture of the town that had been the last rebel stronghold near the capital, Damascus.

Relief organisations say dozens of men, women and children were killed. Footage of young victims foaming at the mouth and weeping in agony has thrust Syria's civil war - in which half a million people have been killed in the past seven years - to the forefront of world concern again.

Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) travelled to Syria last week to inspect the site, but have yet to gain access to Douma, which is now under government control after the rebels withdrew.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/chemical-weapons-inspectors-how-do-they-work-130954">How do chemical weapons inspectors work?&nbsp;</a>

"It is our understanding the Russians may have visited the attack site," U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Ward said at an OPCW meeting in The Hague on Monday.

"It is our concern that they may have tampered with it with the intent of thwarting the efforts of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission to conduct an effective investigation," he said. His comments at the closed-door meeting were obtained by Reuters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied Moscow had interfered with any evidence. "I can guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site," he told the BBC.

Increasing regional jitters, Syrian anti-aircraft defences shot down missiles fired at the Syrian air base of Shayrat in Homs province, Syrian state television said.

The Pentagon said there was no U.S. military activity in that area "at this time".

Separately, the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia said Syrian air defences intercepted three missiles aimed at Dumair military airport northeast of Damascus.

An Israeli military spokesman said: "We don't comment on such reports".

TRUMP WANTS US&nbsp;TROOPS HOME

Two days after the missile strikes that he hailed as a well-executed military operation, President Donald Trump still wants to bring the small number of U.S. troops in northern Syria home, the White House said.

But spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said he had not set a timeline for a pullout. Trump was also willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, she added, while indicating that no such encounter was imminent.

Britain's delegation to the OPCW accused Russia and the Assad government of stopping inspectors from reaching Douma.

"Unfettered access is essential," it said in a statement. "Russia and Syria must cooperate."

The team aims to collect samples, interview witnesses and document evidence to determine whether banned toxic munitions were used, although it is not permitted to assign blame for the attack.

British Ambassador Peter Wilson said in The Hague that the United Nations had cleared the inspectors to go but they had been unable to reach Douma because Syria and Russia had been unable to guarantee their safety.

Moscow blamed the delay on the air strikes, in which the United States, France and Britain targeted what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities.

"We called for an objective investigation. This was at the very beginning after this information (of the attack) appeared. Therefore allegations of this towards Russia are groundless," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

A Russian defence ministry official said later the OPCW experts would travel to Douma on Wednesday.

Russia's defence ministry said the United States and its allies had hit military targets and not just research facilities, Interfax news agency reported.

The RIA news agency quoted the ministry as saying the Syrian military destroyed 71 out of 103 cruise missiles detected in Syrian airspace.

The inspectors met Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in the presence of Russian officers and a senior Syrian security official in Damascus for about three hours on Sunday.

OPCW inspectors have been attacked on two previous missions to the sites of chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

Syrian flags flew in Douma on Monday, security forces stood on street corners and Russian military police patrolled the streets. State aid trucks handed out bread, rice and pasta to people who had lived under siege for years.

A government-organised media tour did not include the building where, according to rescue workers and medics who were in town at the time, dozens of people were killed by poison gas.

Doctors at the hospital where suspected victims were treated told reporters on the tour that none of the patients that night had suffered chemical weapons injuries - they were asphyxiated by dust and smoke in a bombardment.

Medical aid groups and the White Helmets rescue organisation have said such statements - already aired on state television in recent days - were made under duress.

'RIGHT THING TO DO'

The U.S.-led strikes did nothing to alter the strategic balance or dent Assad's supremacy, and the Western allies have said the aim was to prevent the further use of chemical weapons, not to intervene in the civil war or topple Assad.

At a meeting in Luxembourg, the 28 EU foreign ministers endorsed the missile strikes and considered steps to deepen Assad's isolation.

Britain's May told parliament the decision to conduct air strikes against Syria was in the British national interest and not as a result of pressure from Trump.

"We have not done this because President Trump asked us to, we have done it because we believed it was the right thing to do, and we are not alone. There is broad-based international support for the action we have taken," May said.

May has said she did not seek a green light from parliament for the attacks, citing the need to act quickly.

The US added the Russians or Syrians may have tampered with evidence on the ground in Douma

The United States accused Russia on Monday of blocking international inspectors from reaching the site of a suspected poison gas attack in Syria and said Russians or Syrians may have tampered with evidence on the ground. Moscow denied the charge and blamed delays on retaliatory U.S.-led missile strikes on Syria on Saturday. British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron faced criticism from political opponents over their decisions to take part in the air strikes. Syria and Russia deny unleashing poison gas on April 7 during their offensive on Douma, which ended with the recapture of the town that had been the last rebel stronghold near the capital, Damascus. Relief organisations say dozens of men, women and children were killed. Footage of young victims foaming at the mouth and weeping in agony has thrust Syria's civil war - in which half a million people have been killed in the past seven years - to the forefront of world concern again. Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) travelled to Syria last week to inspect the site, but have yet to gain access to Douma, which is now under government control after the rebels withdrew. Also read: How do chemical weapons inspectors work? "It is our understanding the Russians may have visited the attack site," U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Ward said at an OPCW meeting in The Hague on Monday. "It is our concern that they may have tampered with it with the intent of thwarting the efforts of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission to conduct an effective investigation," he said. His comments at the closed-door meeting were obtained by Reuters. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied Moscow had interfered with any evidence. "I can guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site," he told the BBC. Increasing regional jitters, Syrian anti-aircraft defences shot down missiles fired at the Syrian air base of Shayrat in Homs province, Syrian state television said. The Pentagon said there was no U.S. military activity in that area "at this time". Separately, the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia said Syrian air defences intercepted three missiles aimed at Dumair military airport northeast of Damascus. An Israeli military spokesman said: "We don't comment on such reports". TRUMP WANTS US TROOPS HOME Two days after the missile strikes that he hailed as a well-executed military operation, President Donald Trump still wants to bring the small number of U.S. troops in northern Syria home, the White House said. But spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said he had not set a timeline for a pullout. Trump was also willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, she added, while indicating that no such encounter was imminent. Britain's delegation to the OPCW accused Russia and the Assad government of stopping inspectors from reaching Douma. "Unfettered access is essential," it said in a statement. "Russia and Syria must cooperate." The team aims to collect samples, interview witnesses and document evidence to determine whether banned toxic munitions were used, although it is not permitted to assign blame for the attack. British Ambassador Peter Wilson said in The Hague that the United Nations had cleared the inspectors to go but they had been unable to reach Douma because Syria and Russia had been unable to guarantee their safety. Moscow blamed the delay on the air strikes, in which the United States, France and Britain targeted what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities. "We called for an objective investigation. This was at the very beginning after this information (of the attack) appeared. Therefore allegations of this towards Russia are groundless," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. A Russian defence ministry official said later the OPCW experts would travel to Douma on Wednesday. Russia's defence ministry said the United States and its allies had hit military targets and not just research facilities, Interfax news agency reported. The RIA news agency quoted the ministry as saying the Syrian military destroyed 71 out of 103 cruise missiles detected in Syrian airspace. The inspectors met Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in the presence of Russian officers and a senior Syrian security official in Damascus for about three hours on Sunday. OPCW inspectors have been attacked on two previous missions to the sites of chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Syrian flags flew in Douma on Monday, security forces stood on street corners and Russian military police patrolled the streets. State aid trucks handed out bread, rice and pasta to people who had lived under siege for years. A government-organised media tour did not include the building where, according to rescue workers and medics who were in town at the time, dozens of people were killed by poison gas. Doctors at the hospital where suspected victims were treated told reporters on the tour that none of the patients that night had suffered chemical weapons injuries - they were asphyxiated by dust and smoke in a bombardment. Medical aid groups and the White Helmets rescue organisation have said such statements - already aired on state television in recent days - were made under duress. 'RIGHT THING TO DO' The U.S.-led strikes did nothing to alter the strategic balance or dent Assad's supremacy, and the Western allies have said the aim was to prevent the further use of chemical weapons, not to intervene in the civil war or topple Assad. At a meeting in Luxembourg, the 28 EU foreign ministers endorsed the missile strikes and considered steps to deepen Assad's isolation. Britain's May told parliament the decision to conduct air strikes against Syria was in the British national interest and not as a result of pressure from Trump. "We have not done this because President Trump asked us to, we have done it because we believed it was the right thing to do, and we are not alone. There is broad-based international support for the action we have taken," May said. May has said she did not seek a green light from parliament for the attacks, citing the need to act quickly.

Russia blocking international inspectors from reaching suspected Syria chemical attack site: US

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that further Western attacks on Syria would bring chaos to world affairs, while signs emerged that Moscow and Washington want to pull back from the worst crisis in their relations for years.

Putin made his remarks in a telephone conversation with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani after the United States, France and Britain launched missile strikes on Syria on Saturday over a suspected poison gas attack.&nbsp

A Kremlin statement said Putin and Rouhani agreed that the Western strikes had damaged the chances of achieving a political resolution in the multi-sided, seven-year conflict that has killed at least half a million people.

"Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that if such actions committed in violation of the U.N. Charter continue, then it will inevitably lead to chaos in international relations," a Kremlin statement said.

The attacks struck at the heart of Syria`s chemical weapons programme, Washington said, in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack a week ago. All three participants insisted the strikes were not aimed at toppling President Bashar al-Assad or intervening in the conflict.

The bombings, hailed by U.S. President Donald Trump as a success but denounced by Damascus and its allies as an act of aggression, marked the biggest intervention by Western countries against Assad and ally Russia, whose foreign minister Sergei Lavrov called them "unacceptable and lawless".

Putin`s comments were published shortly after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov struck a more conciliatory note by saying Moscow would make every effort to improve political relations with the West.

When asked whether Russia was prepared to work with the proposals of Western countries at the United Nations, Ryabkov told TASS news agency: "Now the political situation is extremely tense, the atmosphere is extremely electrified, so I will not make any predictions.

"We will work calmly, methodically and professionally, using all opportunities to remove the situation from its current extremely dangerous political peak."

Russian Foreign Ministry official Vladimir Ermakov said Washington would want to maintain a dialogue with Moscow about strategic stability after the raids, Russian media reported. 
"In the U.S. administration there are specific people who it is possible to talk with," said Ermakov, head of the ministry`s department for non-proliferation and arms control.

In Damascus, Syria`s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, met inspectors from the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW for about three hours in the presence of Russian officers and a senior Syrian security official.

The inspectors were due to attempt to visit the site of the suspected gas attack in Douma on April 7, which medical relief organisations say killed dozens of people. Moscow condemned the Western states for refusing to wait for OPCW`s findings before attacking.

Mekdad declined to comment to reporters waiting outside the hotel where the meeting took place.

Russia denounced allegations of a gas attack in Douma and said it was staged by Britain to whip up anti-Russian hysteria.&nbsp

In an indication that the West, too, would prefer to lower tensions, the United States and Britain both reiterated that their military action on Saturday was not aimed at Assad, Putin`s ally, only at his use of chemical weapons.

Speaking to the BBC, Britain`s Foreign Secretary (Minister) Boris Johnson said that Western powers had no plans for further missile strikes, though they would assess their options if Damascus used chemical weapons again.

"This is not about regime change ... This is not about trying to turn the tide of the conflict in Syria," he told the BBC, adding that Russia was the only country able to pressure Assad to negotiate an end to the conflict.

Asked about U.S.-Russia relations, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said ties were "very strained" but that the United States still hoped for a better relationship.

Haley said that the United States would not pull its troops out of Syria until its goals were accomplished. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Haley listed three aims for the United States: ensuring that chemical weapons are not used in any way that poses a risk to U.S. interests, that Islamic State is defeated and that there is a good vantage point to watch what Iran is doing.

Trump has made clear he wants to withdraw the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops involved in the anti-Islamic State campaign in Syria. But he appeared to contradict that message when he said on Saturday that Western allies were prepared to "sustain" the military response if Assad does not stop using prohibited chemical weapons.

British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said the legal basis used to support the British role was debatable, adding that he would only support action backed by the U.N. Security Council.

"I say to the foreign secretary, I say to the prime minister, where is the legal basis for this?" Corbyn said in an interview with the BBC.

In Damascus, Assad told a group of visiting Russian lawmakers that the Western missile strikes were an act of aggression, Russian news agencies reported.

Syria released video of the wreckage of a bombed-out research lab, but also of Assad arriving at work as usual, with the caption "morning of resilience" and there were no immediate reports of casualties.&nbsp

Russian agencies quoted the lawmakers as saying that Assad was in a "good mood", had praised the Soviet-era air defence systems Syria used to repel the Western attacks and had accepted an invitation to visit Russia at an unspecified time.

President Trump had said "mission accomplished" on Twitter after the strikes, though U.S. Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie at the Pentagon acknowledged elements of the programme remain and he could not guarantee that Syria would be unable to conduct a chemical attack in the future.

Russian and Iranian military help over the past three years has allowed Assad to crush the rebel threat to topple him. 
The United States, Britain and France have all participated in the Syrian conflict for years, arming rebels, bombing Islamic State fighters and deploying troops to fight the militants. But they have refrained from targeting Assad`s government, apart from a volley of U.S. missiles last year.

France, the United States and Britain plan to put forward a new draft resolution aimed at dismantling Syria`s chemical weapons programme, wiping out terrorism, demanding a ceasefire across Syria and finding a political solution to the war, French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told the council on Saturday.

Most Gulf stock markets rose on Sunday, supported by firm oil prices and relief that the weekend`s military attack on Syria was relatively limited in scope and there was no immediate retaliation.

Internationally, gold and oil are expected to extend gains on Monday, albeit modestly, when the markets open for the first time since the missile attack. Equities and bonds are unlikely to suffer big losses unless the West strikes again or Russia retaliates.

Gold has benefited in recent days as a safe-haven asset amid a U.S.-China trade dispute and the escalating conflict in Syria, which also pushed oil above $70 a barrel on concerns over a spike in Middle Eastern tensions.

The strikes suggest that Trump may have reset America`s red line for military intervention in Syria over the use of chemical weapons.

In Washington, a senior administration official said that "while the available information is much greater on the chlorine use, we do have significant information that also points to sarin use" in the attack.

Sarin had previously appeared to be the threshold for intervention. Chlorine, in contrast, has been used more widely in Syria`s conflict without past U.S. reprisals and is far easier to find and weaponise, experts say.&nbsp

Washington described the strike targets as a centre near Damascus for the research, development, production and testing of chemical and biological weapons a chemical weapons storage site near the city of Homs and another site near Homs that stored chemical weapons equipment and housed a command post.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the attack as a crime and the Western leaders as criminals, while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all Security Council members to use restraint but said charges of chemical weapons use demand investigation.&nbsp

Meanwhile, Pope Francis called on world leaders to renew efforts to bring peace to Syria, saying he was deeply troubled by their failure to agree on a joint plan to end the bloodshed.

Putin made his remarks in a telephone conversation with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani after the United States, France and Britain launched missile strikes on Syria on Saturday over a suspected poison gas attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Sunday that further Western attacks on Syria would bring chaos to world affairs, while signs emerged that Moscow and Washington want to pull back from the worst crisis in their relations for years. Putin made his remarks in a telephone conversation with Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani after the United States, France and Britain launched missile strikes on Syria on Saturday over a suspected poison gas attack. A Kremlin statement said Putin and Rouhani agreed that the Western strikes had damaged the chances of achieving a political resolution in the multi-sided, seven-year conflict that has killed at least half a million people. "Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that if such actions committed in violation of the U.N. Charter continue, then it will inevitably lead to chaos in international relations," a Kremlin statement said. The attacks struck at the heart of Syria`s chemical weapons programme, Washington said, in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack a week ago. All three participants insisted the strikes were not aimed at toppling President Bashar al-Assad or intervening in the conflict. The bombings, hailed by U.S. President Donald Trump as a success but denounced by Damascus and its allies as an act of aggression, marked the biggest intervention by Western countries against Assad and ally Russia, whose foreign minister Sergei Lavrov called them "unacceptable and lawless". Putin`s comments were published shortly after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov struck a more conciliatory note by saying Moscow would make every effort to improve political relations with the West. When asked whether Russia was prepared to work with the proposals of Western countries at the United Nations, Ryabkov told TASS news agency: "Now the political situation is extremely tense, the atmosphere is extremely electrified, so I will not make any predictions. "We will work calmly, methodically and professionally, using all opportunities to remove the situation from its current extremely dangerous political peak." Russian Foreign Ministry official Vladimir Ermakov said Washington would want to maintain a dialogue with Moscow about strategic stability after the raids, Russian media reported. "In the U.S. administration there are specific people who it is possible to talk with," said Ermakov, head of the ministry`s department for non-proliferation and arms control. In Damascus, Syria`s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, met inspectors from the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW for about three hours in the presence of Russian officers and a senior Syrian security official. The inspectors were due to attempt to visit the site of the suspected gas attack in Douma on April 7, which medical relief organisations say killed dozens of people. Moscow condemned the Western states for refusing to wait for OPCW`s findings before attacking. Mekdad declined to comment to reporters waiting outside the hotel where the meeting took place. Russia denounced allegations of a gas attack in Douma and said it was staged by Britain to whip up anti-Russian hysteria. In an indication that the West, too, would prefer to lower tensions, the United States and Britain both reiterated that their military action on Saturday was not aimed at Assad, Putin`s ally, only at his use of chemical weapons. Speaking to the BBC, Britain`s Foreign Secretary (Minister) Boris Johnson said that Western powers had no plans for further missile strikes, though they would assess their options if Damascus used chemical weapons again. "This is not about regime change ... This is not about trying to turn the tide of the conflict in Syria," he told the BBC, adding that Russia was the only country able to pressure Assad to negotiate an end to the conflict. Asked about U.S.-Russia relations, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said ties were "very strained" but that the United States still hoped for a better relationship. Haley said that the United States would not pull its troops out of Syria until its goals were accomplished. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Haley listed three aims for the United States: ensuring that chemical weapons are not used in any way that poses a risk to U.S. interests, that Islamic State is defeated and that there is a good vantage point to watch what Iran is doing. Trump has made clear he wants to withdraw the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops involved in the anti-Islamic State campaign in Syria. But he appeared to contradict that message when he said on Saturday that Western allies were prepared to "sustain" the military response if Assad does not stop using prohibited chemical weapons. British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said the legal basis used to support the British role was debatable, adding that he would only support action backed by the U.N. Security Council. "I say to the foreign secretary, I say to the prime minister, where is the legal basis for this?" Corbyn said in an interview with the BBC. In Damascus, Assad told a group of visiting Russian lawmakers that the Western missile strikes were an act of aggression, Russian news agencies reported. Syria released video of the wreckage of a bombed-out research lab, but also of Assad arriving at work as usual, with the caption "morning of resilience" and there were no immediate reports of casualties. Russian agencies quoted the lawmakers as saying that Assad was in a "good mood", had praised the Soviet-era air defence systems Syria used to repel the Western attacks and had accepted an invitation to visit Russia at an unspecified time. President Trump had said "mission accomplished" on Twitter after the strikes, though U.S. Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie at the Pentagon acknowledged elements of the programme remain and he could not guarantee that Syria would be unable to conduct a chemical attack in the future. Russian and Iranian military help over the past three years has allowed Assad to crush the rebel threat to topple him. The United States, Britain and France have all participated in the Syrian conflict for years, arming rebels, bombing Islamic State fighters and deploying troops to fight the militants. But they have refrained from targeting Assad`s government, apart from a volley of U.S. missiles last year. France, the United States and Britain plan to put forward a new draft resolution aimed at dismantling Syria`s chemical weapons programme, wiping out terrorism, demanding a ceasefire across Syria and finding a political solution to the war, French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told the council on Saturday. Most Gulf stock markets rose on Sunday, supported by firm oil prices and relief that the weekend`s military attack on Syria was relatively limited in scope and there was no immediate retaliation. Internationally, gold and oil are expected to extend gains on Monday, albeit modestly, when the markets open for the first time since the missile attack. Equities and bonds are unlikely to suffer big losses unless the West strikes again or Russia retaliates. Gold has benefited in recent days as a safe-haven asset amid a U.S.-China trade dispute and the escalating conflict in Syria, which also pushed oil above $70 a barrel on concerns over a spike in Middle Eastern tensions. The strikes suggest that Trump may have reset America`s red line for military intervention in Syria over the use of chemical weapons. In Washington, a senior administration official said that "while the available information is much greater on the chlorine use, we do have significant information that also points to sarin use" in the attack. Sarin had previously appeared to be the threshold for intervention. Chlorine, in contrast, has been used more widely in Syria`s conflict without past U.S. reprisals and is far easier to find and weaponise, experts say. Washington described the strike targets as a centre near Damascus for the research, development, production and testing of chemical and biological weapons a chemical weapons storage site near the city of Homs and another site near Homs that stored chemical weapons equipment and housed a command post. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the attack as a crime and the Western leaders as criminals, while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all Security Council members to use restraint but said charges of chemical weapons use demand investigation. Meanwhile, Pope Francis called on world leaders to renew efforts to bring peace to Syria, saying he was deeply troubled by their failure to agree on a joint plan to end the bloodshed.

Russia's Putin predicts global 'chaos' if West hits Syria again

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria's chemical weapons program but Argentina, Brazil and Peru voiced caution during a regional summit about the escalating military action.

Speaking at the Summit of the Americas in Peru, Trudeau and several other Western Hemisphere leaders forcefully condemned the use of chemical weapons, following a suspected poison gas attack last week in a Damascus suburb that killed up to 75 people and sparked international outcry.

Washington blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack and, together with Britain and France, launched missile strikes overnight on what it said were Syrian chemical weapons facilities.

"Canada stands with our friends in this necessary response and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in last week's attack," Trudeau said in his speech. "Those responsible must be brought to justice."

But the retaliatory action drew pleas for caution from several Latin American countries.

"There's deep concern in Brazil with the escalation of military conflict in Syria," Brazilian President Michel Temer told the summit. "It's time to find permanent solutions based on international law to a war that has been going for far too long and ended too many lives."

Peru, a non-permanent member of the UN&nbsp;Security Council, called for moderation from all parties involved in Syria and said it was working to find a political solution, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri also appealed for greater coordination on Syria "in the framework of existing international commitments", remarks later echoed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Outside the summit, the strikes drew swift condemnation from left-leaning governments in Bolivia and Cuba, outspoken critics of US&nbsp;influence.

But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a close US&nbsp;ally in Latin America, appeared to back Washington as he condemned chemical weapons.

"We support actions to punish their use and seek their total elimination," Santos said.

The Pentagon said the missile strikes in Syria had hit every target. It said the military action was aimed at delivering an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deterring the future use of chemical weapons.

The official theme of the Summit of the Americas is the fight against corruption. Many countries in attendance are also expected to condemn a pending election in Venezuela.

But Syria, China and trade loomed over the talks on Saturday as Washington seeks to advance the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, which is widely unpopular in the region.

Trump canceled his attendance at the summit to focus on Syria. US Vice President Mike Pence, filling in for him, was expected to discuss Syria in his speech on Saturday and in meetings with heads of state.

Nafta talks

Pence met with Pena Nieto privately at the summit. The Mexican leader told reporters they would discuss not just the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but also maintaining a relationship of "mutual respect" between their two countries.

Pence and Pena Nieto kept their remarks to reporters extremely brief - in contrast to the more expansive and warmer tone struck by Pence and Trudeau during the public part of a meeting held minutes earlier.

Trudeau said there was "positive momentum" on reworking the NAFTA accord - which groups Canada, Mexico and the United States - while Pence said talks were encouraging.

"As the president said very recently, we think we're close," Pence said before starting the meeting with Pena Nieto. "We are hopeful that we can conclude a successful renegotiation of NAFTA."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria's chemical weapons program but Argentina, Brazil and Peru voiced caution during a regional summit about the escalating military action

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria's chemical weapons program but Argentina, Brazil and Peru voiced caution during a regional summit about the escalating military action. Speaking at the Summit of the Americas in Peru, Trudeau and several other Western Hemisphere leaders forcefully condemned the use of chemical weapons, following a suspected poison gas attack last week in a Damascus suburb that killed up to 75 people and sparked international outcry. Washington blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack and, together with Britain and France, launched missile strikes overnight on what it said were Syrian chemical weapons facilities. "Canada stands with our friends in this necessary response and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in last week's attack," Trudeau said in his speech. "Those responsible must be brought to justice." But the retaliatory action drew pleas for caution from several Latin American countries. "There's deep concern in Brazil with the escalation of military conflict in Syria," Brazilian President Michel Temer told the summit. "It's time to find permanent solutions based on international law to a war that has been going for far too long and ended too many lives." Peru, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, called for moderation from all parties involved in Syria and said it was working to find a political solution, according to a foreign ministry statement. Argentine President Mauricio Macri also appealed for greater coordination on Syria "in the framework of existing international commitments", remarks later echoed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Outside the summit, the strikes drew swift condemnation from left-leaning governments in Bolivia and Cuba, outspoken critics of US influence. But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a close US ally in Latin America, appeared to back Washington as he condemned chemical weapons. "We support actions to punish their use and seek their total elimination," Santos said. The Pentagon said the missile strikes in Syria had hit every target. It said the military action was aimed at delivering an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deterring the future use of chemical weapons. The official theme of the Summit of the Americas is the fight against corruption. Many countries in attendance are also expected to condemn a pending election in Venezuela. But Syria, China and trade loomed over the talks on Saturday as Washington seeks to advance the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, which is widely unpopular in the region. Trump canceled his attendance at the summit to focus on Syria. US Vice President Mike Pence, filling in for him, was expected to discuss Syria in his speech on Saturday and in meetings with heads of state. Nafta talks Pence met with Pena Nieto privately at the summit. The Mexican leader told reporters they would discuss not just the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but also maintaining a relationship of "mutual respect" between their two countries. Pence and Pena Nieto kept their remarks to reporters extremely brief - in contrast to the more expansive and warmer tone struck by Pence and Trudeau during the public part of a meeting held minutes earlier. Trudeau said there was "positive momentum" on reworking the NAFTA accord - which groups Canada, Mexico and the United States - while Pence said talks were encouraging. "As the president said very recently, we think we're close," Pence said before starting the meeting with Pena Nieto. "We are hopeful that we can conclude a successful renegotiation of NAFTA."

Canada backs Syria strikes but others concerned at Americas summit