8 Mar, 2026
Did the US-Israel punish Iran for having a military compound directly next to an elementary school as a deterrent to secure safety for the military installations that were right next door, by propinquity.
Evidence more than strongly indicates American and Israeli forces intentionally bombed a girls elementary school in Minab, Iran killing 168 children plus 14 staff and 4 parents, and was directed to do so by Israeli Zionist forces who clandestinely change US targeting data for terrorizing purposes if missiles did the attack. Or, perhaps it was Israeli only aircraft that bombed the school, if aircraft did 'the deed', as US and Israeli aircraft were both in the area at the same time, and if so, it's nearly impossible to determine after-the-fact which aircraft were the bomb droppers. So, it could be this was an Israeli-only war-crime, or a US perpetrated war-crime due to 'altered targeting data', assuming the US forces were aware of the school and intentionally did not knowingly attack the school.
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the area of a school and Naval base of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard after what was an airstrike targeting the military compound in Minab, Iran, on February 28, 2026.
The New York Times concluded that American forces were responsible for the bombing of an elementary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab that left at least 168 children dead as well as teachers and staff, in an analysis published on Thursday, March 5th.
The February 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh girls' school came on the first day of the unprovoked US-Israeli attack on Iran that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian commanders, as well as hundreds of civilians.
In its analysis, which was based on newly released satellite imagery, verified social media posts, and geolocated videos, the NYT concluded that the school was hit by precision strikes at the same time as attacks by US forces on a directly adjacent Naval base belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Historic imagery shows the school building was partitioned off from the military compound in 2016 and bore clear hallmarks of a civilian educational facility, including a sports field and children’s murals.
Wes J. Bryant, a former US Air Force targeting expert, told NYT the strikes were “picture perfect” target hits, suggesting the school was either a “target misidentification” or struck based on outdated intelligence.
The BBC published a similar analysis on Thursday, noting that satellite images suggest the school was hit multiple times judging by the burn marks around the buildings, and that the close proximity of the impact sites between the IRGC Naval base and the school suggest “it was intentional to hit the entire area”.
The White House and Pentagon have offered evasive responses with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters on Wednesday that “the Department of War is investigating this matter”. War Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted US forces “never target civilian targets”.
On Tuesday 3-March, thousands gathered in Minab for the mass funeral. Images showed row upon row of small shallow graves – the final resting places of children aged mostly between seven and 12, and coffins draped in Iranian flags passing through crowds of mourners. One father at the scene accused “criminal Israel” of being “child-killers”.
Mourners were dressed in black and carrying photographs of the deceased and beating their chests in grief as the funeral procession moved through the city’s main square. Mourners also carried coffins.
According to the Iranian government, 168 students at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school have been confirmed dead, along with at least 14 teachers and staff members and four parents who were at the school when the strike occurred.
The UN human rights office has called for an investigation, calling the attack an example of the “senselessness and cruelty of this conflict”. UNESCO stated that “the killing of school pupils” constitutes a “grave violation” of International Humanitarian Law.
Multiple countries have also strongly condemned the attack, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova describing the Minab incident as a “sacrifice to the forces of evil”.
This Minab incident is not the first atrocity committed by the US-Israel against Iran. In 1988, during the Iran-Iraq War, the US Navy cruiser USS Vincennes downed a civilian airliner, Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 people on board. Washington later expressed “deep regret” and paid compensation but has never formally apologized for the incident.
Buried under the rubble
According to Iranian officials, US and Israeli fighter jets carried out five airstrikes on the Naval base and the school, which was holding morning classes at the time. A nearby clinic was also hit hours later.
In the aftermath, grief-stricken parents gathered at the site of the destroyed school desperately waiting for answers amid the rubble. One father told local reporters that he arrived at the school to find “a very difficult and heartbreaking scene” with students and teachers “buried under the rubble”. He accused “criminal America and Israel” of being “child-killers.”.
Rescue workers and residents search through the rubble in the aftermath of what Iranian officials said was an Israeli-U.S. strike on a girls' elementary school, Minab, Iran, February 28, 2026.
Search operations concluded days later, with the final death toll standing at 168 schoolgirls. The head of the Hormozgan Supreme Court, Mojtaba Ghahremani, confirmed that the majority of the victims have been identified, but that 25 were still unrecognizable. Some families lost multiple children.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted images of the graves on X, stating: “These are the 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.”
Graves being prepared for the victims, mostly children, of what Iranian officials said was an Israeli-US strike on Feb. 28 at a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, March 2, 2026.
How the world has reacted to the massacre
The strike has drawn widespread international condemnation. The UN human rights office called for an investigation, with spokesman Ravina Shamdasani describing the images as capturing “the essence of the destruction, despair and senselessness and cruelty of this conflict.”
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk urged “the forces that carried out the attack” to investigate and ensure accountability. UNESCO said it was “deeply alarmed”, stating that attacks on educational institutions undermine the right to education.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday it “resolutely condemns the strike” on a girls’ school that “resulted in the deaths of dozens of innocent children”. It added that “any attacks on civilian targets – whether in Iran or Arab countries – are unacceptable and must be completely excluded.”
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also blasted the White House for publishing on TikTok a compilation video of its strikes on Iran to the ‘Macarena’ song on the same day of the funeral. This is, of course, no longer just cynicism or even double standards. This is …how far, in principle, are they prepared to go”, she said.
“Today they are burying Iranian schoolgirls. No apologies, no explanations. This brave new world is unbearable”, RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan wrote.
Belarus’s Foreign Ministry said it was “shocked by news from the Iranian city of Minab”, asking “how can the death of innocent girls, dreaming of the future, bring closer the resolution of any political issue ? There is no goal that justifies the death of children.”
Chinese Ambassador to the UN Fu Cong said Beijing “strongly condemns” the strike, stating that “attacks on schools are one of the six most serious crimes against children recognized by the United Nations and should be severely condemned and resolutely resisted.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned the attack as a “clear violation of International Law” and expressed “deep sorrow” over the suffering being inflicted on civilians and innocent children.
Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai condemned the killings as “unconscionable”, saying the girls “went to school to learn, with hopes and dreams for their future. Today, their lives were brutally cut short.”
Rescue workers and residents search through the rubble in the aftermath of what Iranian officials said was an Israeli-U.S. strike on a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, February 28, 2026.
A number of US officials have also condemned the attack, with former Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump, expressing outrage on social media. “I did not campaign for this. I did not donate money for this. I did not vote for this, in elections or Congress. This is not what we thought MAGA was supposed to be”, she wrote.
California Governor Gavin Newsom also demanded explanations about “why our bombs – or Israeli bombs – were used to kill children, to kill young girls in schools, and what imminent threat existed at the time.”
The EU has not commented on the tragedy, but issued a statement on “developments in Iran” calling on “all parties to exercise maximum restraint, to protect civilians, and to fully respect International Law.”
US and Israel dodge responsibility
The US and Israel have offered conflicting responses, with a Pentagon spokesman stating that Washington is “aware of reports concerning civilian harm” and is “looking into them”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed US forces “would not deliberately target a school.”
Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani stated that he was “not aware of any Israeli or American strikes” in the area, insisting that Israeli forces operate in “an extremely accurate manner."
[ This bombing of an elementary school is exactly what Israeli Zionists would do, and will do, to terrorize those they target. ]
