Iran has conducted a mass burial for more than 160 schoolgirls and staff members killed in a reported US-Israeli airstrike on an elementary school in the southern city of Minab, as hostilities in the Middle East continue to escalate.
The ceremony followed an attack on Saturday at the Shajareye Tayabeh all-girls primary school in Hormozgan Province, where classes were underway, according to state media reports.
Initial accounts indicated at least 85 deaths, predominantly among students, with the toll rising as rescue teams sifted through debris.
At least 63 others sustained injuries in the incident, per the Islamic Republic News Agency.
Iranian authorities have denounced the strike as a targeted assault on civilians, attributing it to Israel amid joint US-Israeli military operations against Iran.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted images from the site on social media, calling it a “tragedy” and declaring that “those responsible would be held to account.”
The event unfolded against a backdrop of intensified clashes, including air raids and missile exchanges between Iranian forces and US-Israeli assets near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the surge in violence, stating: “I condemn today’s military escalation in the Middle East.
The use of force by the United States & Israel against Iran, and the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, undermines international peace & security.”
He urged adherence to international law, adding: “All Member States must respect their obligations under international law, including the Charter of the UN,” which prohibits “the threat of the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
Guterres warned that further exchanges could spark a broader conflict, endangering millions of civilians in the volatile region.
