Iran Releases Details on Deadly School Strike at Start of War

Tehran — Iran has released new details about the casualties from a deadly air strike that hit a school at the beginning of the recent Middle East conflict, according to state media.

A total of 73 boys and 47 girls were killed in the attack on February 28, which targeted a primary school in the city of Minab, as reported by the state broadcaster IRIB and local outlets.

The strike occurred on the same day that the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran. In response, Tehran carried out retaliatory attacks on targets in Israel and several Gulf countries.

In addition to the children, 26 teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, and a pharmacy worker at a nearby clinic were also killed, IRIB said in a statement shared on Telegram.

This brings the confirmed death toll to 155, lower than earlier reports that had suggested more than 175 fatalities.

Preliminary findings from a U.S. military investigation, reported by The New York Times, indicate that a U.S. Tomahawk missile struck the school due to a targeting error.

U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier claimed that Iran itself was responsible, despite Iran not possessing Tomahawk missiles.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned the attack in a video address to the United Nations Human Rights Council, describing it as a “deliberate and multi-layered assault.”