Funerals have been held in the southern Iranian city of Minab for students and staff killed in what Iranian authorities describe as a US-Israeli missile strike on a girls’ school.
Officials say more than 160 people are killed when three missiles hit the school on Saturday morning as the United States and Israel launch widespread strikes targeting Iran’s military sites and leadership. The BBC says it has not independently verified the reported death toll.
The school is located about 600 metres from a base belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran’s six-day working week runs from Saturday to Thursday, meaning the school is likely occupied at the time of the strike.
Hundreds of mourners pack the streets during funeral processions broadcast on state television. Coffins draped in the national flag are carried through crowds as a narrator recounts the grief of parents who lose their daughters.
President Masoud Pezeshkian calls the strike a “barbaric act” and “another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”
Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posts an image on social media showing rows of freshly dug graves, writing, “This is how ‘rescue’ promised by Mr Trump looks in reality.”
The US military says it is reviewing reports of the incident, while Israel’s military says it is “not aware” of any operations in the area.
Asked whether an American missile struck the school, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States would not deliberately target a school.
“The US would not deliberately target a school,” Rubio says. “We would have no interest, and frankly, no incentive to target civilian infrastructure.”
In a statement reported in US media, a spokesperson for United States Central Command says, “We take these reports seriously. The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimise the risk of unintended harm.”
Clips showing smoke rising from a damaged building as crowds gather nearby, with some people heard screaming. International news organisations face visa restrictions in Iran, limiting independent reporting from the country.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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