The city of Minab in southern Iran was the site of a devastating attack on February 28, when a missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School, killing more than 170 people, mostly schoolgirls. The incident occurred during the opening hours of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has been ongoing for nearly two weeks.
The school, located near a base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was hit by a missile at approximately 10:45am local time, causing the roof to collapse on students and teachers inside. Dozens of others were injured in the blast.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shared a photo of the attack, condemning the strike and saying it destroyed the girls’ school and killed “innocent children”. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also slammed the “blatant crime” and urged action from the United Nations Security Council.
Investigation and Response
Preliminary investigations suggest the school may have been hit by a US missile due to a targeting error, though the exact circumstances remain under investigation. Analysts say the strike may have been caused by outdated targeting information, as the school is on the same block as buildings used by the IRGC’s navy.
Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, told Al Jazeera that the US Central Command may not have kept its target list up to date, leading to the mistake.
US President Donald Trump initially suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible for the strike, despite a lack of evidence. However, The New York Times reported that the school was hit by a US Tomahawk missile due to a targeting error.
International Reaction
Nearly all US Senate Democrats have signed a letter to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth calling for a “swift investigation” into the attack. The letter asked for answers to a series of questions, including whether US forces conducted the strikes and what steps the military has taken to prevent and mitigate civilian harm.
Israel has denied any involvement in the attack, with Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani saying that they have found no connection between the Israeli army and the strike.
The incident has drawn comparisons to past cases of civilian casualties caused by US military actions, including the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and the 1991 Gulf War.
Source: Al Jazeera
