By Micah Jonah, March 3, 2026
Thousands of mourners gathered in Minab, southern Iran, for a mass funeral of 165 schoolgirls and staff killed in what Tehran described as a joint United States and Israeli air strike on a girls’ primary school.
State television showed crowds filling a public square, waving Iranian flags and chanting against the United States and Israel. Women dressed in black chadors stood in mourning as coffins draped in national colours were laid out.
From the podium, a grieving mother held up a photograph of her daughter and described the incident as a crime against innocent children. The crowd responded with chants of defiance, insisting there would be no surrender.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi accused Washington and Tel Aviv of killing the students, calling the attack evidence of what he described as aggression against civilians. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman also alleged that hospitals, schools and residential areas have been repeatedly targeted since the escalation began.
Israel’s military said it was not aware of any strike in that area. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the United States would not deliberately target a school and said the matter would be investigated if US forces were involved. The US Central Command confirmed it was reviewing reports of possible civilian harm.
The incident has drawn condemnation from UNESCO and education activist Malala Yousafzai, who both stressed that attacks on schools violate international humanitarian law.
As the war intensifies, Tehran has called for global solidarity and international intervention, while missile and drone exchanges continue across the region. The funeral in Minab has now become a symbol of rising civilian casualties in the widening conflict.
