At least 100 children were killed on Saturday when a US-Israeli strike hit a girls' school in Minab, southern Iran, according to Iranian state media. The bombing of Shajareh Tayyebeh school occurred as parents were dropping off their children, with dozens more pupils still unaccounted for, the Mizan news agency reported.
Social media footage, verified by Persian factchecking service Factnameh and Reuters, showed smoke rising from the burnt-out building and debris scattered across the road. Hundreds of onlookers gathered at the scene, some in distress. The school is reported to be adjacent to a Revolutionary Guards barracks. If confirmed, this would be the largest single loss of life in the US-led attack so far.
Iran's health ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour described the bombing as 'the most bitter news' of the conflict. 'God knows how many more children's bodies they will pull from under the rubble,' he wrote on X. The strike came amid diplomatic negotiations between Iran and the US, weeks after Tehran violently crushed nationwide anti-regime protests.
In Tehran, residents expressed a mix of terror and hope. Some felt relief that the long-expected strikes had arrived, while opponents of the regime hoped for political change. Many had stockpiled water and supplies in preparation for possible war. Amir, a 37-year-old bakery owner, said he was relieved strikes appeared to hit government buildings but feared civilian casualties. 'We have endured so much grief – despite that, we don't want to see the body bags on the streets due to US and Israeli strikes,' he said.
Young Iranians voiced defiance. Mohsen, 25, an IT worker, said he had witnessed friends killed by the regime during the protests. Moein, a 21-year-old student, said he heard loud bangs near the university and had lost two friends in the crackdown. 'We were not in favour of foreign intervention, because we did not want our loved ones to be killed, but the regime has massacred our families anyway,' he said. He noted that the city felt apprehensive but not panicked, having stocked up on essentials.
