A senior official at the Iranian Ministry of Health has announced that nearly 100 students lost their lives during the recent wave of protests across Iran.

The Deputy for Cultural and Student Affairs at the ministry stated that the deaths occurred during demonstrations held in the month of Aban (November), marking one of the deadliest periods for student protesters in recent years.

Echoing the official narrative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the official—identified as Habibi—claimed that so-called “external and terrorist elements” were responsible for the killing of many of the victims. This claim was made while once again rejecting any role by Iran’s security and military forces in the violent suppression of the protests.

The official did not provide precise statistics regarding the number of detained students but said that “many of those arrested” have since been released. According to the statement, between eight and nine students remain in custody.