Iran held a mass funeral ceremony for 165 schoolgirls and staff killed on Saturday in what Iranian authorities described as a United States–Israeli attack on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab. Thousands of mourners gathered to honor the victims, many holding photos of the children and coffins lined up for burial.
The Israeli military stated it was not aware of any attacks in the area, as US and Israeli forces continue their military operations in Iran. President Donald Trump announced that the new leadership in Tehran has been targeted, with the country’s death toll rising to 787. Meanwhile, Israel intensified air attacks on Lebanon and launched a new ground incursion into the south, vowing to destroy Hezbollah.
In Minab, Iranian state television showed thousands filling a public square. Men waved the Islamic Republic flag, while women draped in black chadors stood apart. From the stage, a woman claiming to be the mother of a victim named “Atena” held up printed portraits, calling them “a document of American crimes,” and said, “They died in the way of God.” The crowd chanted against the US and Israel, shouting “No surrender.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US and Israel of killing the schoolgirls, stating on social media:
“These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school. Their bodies were torn to shreds. This is how ‘rescue’ promised by Mr. Trump looks in reality. From Gaza to Minab, innocents murdered in cold blood.”
Authorities in Tehran have called for international action and solidarity, highlighting that hospitals and schools have been hit during the ongoing conflict.
The incident has drawn condemnation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Nobel Peace Prize-winning education activist Malala Yousafzai. The UN human rights office called for “a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the attack,” though spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said there was insufficient information to determine if the strike constituted a war crime.
Deliberately attacking an educational institution, hospital, or any civilian structure is considered a war crime under international humanitarian law. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the United States would not deliberately target a school and referred questions about the incident to the Department of War for investigation.
The attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school marks the deadliest single incident in the ongoing US-Israel campaign against Iran so far, with civilians bearing the brunt of the escalating conflict.
