US Defense Secretary Evasive on Deadly Iranian School Strike, Says Investigation Underway
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been evasive when questioned about a devastating airstrike on a girls' elementary school in Iran, stating only that the United States is "investigating" the incident. Iranian officials assert that the attack, which occurred on Saturday, resulted in the deaths of at least 165 students, with many more injured.
Funeral Held for Victims as Mourners Gather in Minab
On Tuesday, thousands of mourners assembled in the streets of Minab in southern Iran for the funeral of those killed in the airstrike. Emotional scenes unfolded as a woman was photographed throwing rose petals on the coffins, many of which contained the bodies of children. The strike targeted the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school, marking one of the worst mass casualty events in the ongoing conflict.
UN Calls for Investigation and Condemns Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure
The United Nations human rights office has urged "the forces behind a deadly attack on a girls' school in Iran" to conduct a thorough investigation and provide detailed information about the incident, though it did not specify who it believes is responsible. In a related development, Iran's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, previously raised the matter with UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk, describing the attack as "unjustifiable" and "criminal" in a letter dated 1 March.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed alarm in a statement, noting reports of strikes on civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, which have injured and traumatised children, claiming many young lives. The committee emphasised that children must be protected from the horrors of war, highlighting the convention on the rights of the child designed to safeguard children's education and shield them from violence.
US and Israeli Military Actions Escalate Regional Conflict
The school was struck on the first day of US and Israeli attacks on Iran, part of a broader conflict that has seen over 800 people killed across the Middle East. These opening attacks included the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting waves of retaliatory strikes by Iran against several countries in the region.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Monday that US forces "would not deliberately target a school," echoing Hegseth's comments that the US never intentionally aims at civilian targets. However, the US military has claimed that the number of strikes carried out on Saturday in the first 24 hours of its war on Iran was nearly double that of the "shock-and-awe" strikes on Iraq in 2003, with nearly 2,000 targets hit so far in Iran.
Ongoing Investigations and International Scrutiny
As the investigation into the school bombing continues, international scrutiny remains high. The incident has sparked widespread condemnation and calls for accountability, underscoring the devastating impact of the conflict on civilian populations, particularly children. With both sides offering limited details, the full truth behind the attack may take time to emerge, leaving families in Minab and beyond grappling with loss and uncertainty.
