Sri Lanka
USA
Canada
India
UK
UAE
Thousands of mourners gathered in the southern Iranian city of Minab on Tuesday to bid farewell to dozens of students killed in a devastating strike that destroyed the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school on February 28. The funerals took place as fighting entered its fifth consecutive day, deepening fears of a prolonged and escalating conflict.
According to Iranian state media, between 150 and 180 people — the majority of them girls aged between seven and 12 — were killed when the school building was reduced to rubble. The campus was located approximately 600 meters from a naval facility operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a detail that has drawn intense international scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding the strike.
Teary-eyed families, classmates, and residents filled the streets of Minab as coffins draped in white cloth were carried through the city. Many described the loss as one of the darkest days in the community’s history. Iranian officials condemned the attack as a grave violation, accusing the United States and Israel of targeting civilian infrastructure.
Washington, however, denied that the school was deliberately targeted. U.S. officials said the strike was part of “Operation Epic Fury,” a broader military campaign aimed at IRGC positions following earlier Iranian attacks. The United States stated it would review the incident and pledged to investigate claims of civilian casualties.
Operation Epic Fury reportedly focused on strategic IRGC sites, with U.S. forces claiming to have destroyed key defense systems and sunk vessels believed to be linked to Iranian operations. In response, Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes that reportedly hit U.S. facilities in the region and critical infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates, further widening the scope of the confrontation.
The spiraling violence has triggered urgent calls from global leaders and international organizations for an immediate ceasefire. Diplomatic efforts are underway to prevent further civilian harm and contain the conflict before it spreads further across the region.
As Minab buries its youngest victims, the tragedy has become a painful symbol of the human cost of the escalating hostilities — with families demanding accountability and the world watching anxiously for the next move in a rapidly intensifying crisis.
