Iran held a mass funeral ceremony for 165 schoolgirls and staff who were killed in an attack on a girls’ school in Minab, a city in southern Iran, during the escalating conflict in the region.
Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of carrying out the strike on Saturday, describing it as one of the deadliest incidents since the start of the war against Tehran.
However, the Israeli military has said it was not aware of any Israeli or US attacks in the Minab area, while the United States has also denied deliberately targeting a school.
Thousands attend funeral ceremony
Iranian state television broadcast images of thousands of mourners gathered in a public square in Minab for the funeral ceremony.
Men were seen waving the Islamic Republic flag, while women wearing black chadors stood in separate sections during the event.
Families of the victims addressed the gathering, expressing grief and anger over the incident.
One woman, who said she was the mother of a victim named Atena, held up photographs of the victims and described them as evidence of what she called “American crimes”.
The crowd responded with chants against the United States and Israel, shouting slogans including “No surrender”.
Iran accuses US and Israel
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly accused the United States and Israel of being responsible for the deaths.
“These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school,” he wrote on social media while sharing an image showing rows of newly dug graves.
Iranian officials say schools, hospitals and residential areas have been hit during recent air strikes across the country.
International concern and calls for probe
The reported attack has drawn concern from international organisations and global figures.
The United Nations human rights office has called for a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the incident.
UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said authorities currently do not have enough information to determine whether the strike constituted a war crime, but described the situation as deeply troubling.
Education activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and the UNESCO cultural and education agency have also condemned the reported deaths of schoolchildren.
US denies targeting school
Responding to questions from journalists, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would not deliberately target a school.
“The United States would not deliberately target a school,” Rubio said, adding that the matter would be investigated if evidence showed that US forces were involved.
Meanwhile, US Central Command said it was reviewing reports of possible civilian harm during ongoing military operations in the region.
As tensions continue to escalate, the incident has intensified international concern about the humanitarian consequences of the expanding conflict in the Middle East.