Grief And Anger In Iran As Schoolgirls Buried After Alleged US–Israeli Strike

Iranian authorities held a mass funeral for 165 schoolgirls and staff killed on Saturday, following what the Iranian government claimed was a joint strike by the United States and Israel on a girls’ primary school in the southern Iranian city. Israel claimed that it had no knowledge of any military activity in the region, while the United States claimed that it was reviewing the situation.

Iranian television showed scenes of thousands of people attending the funeral service held in a public square. While men waved Iranian flags, women wearing black chadors stood separately. A woman, claiming to be the mother of the victims, held up photographs that she claimed served as proof of “American crimes,” stating that the girls had “died in the way of God.” The people at the funeral service were chanting slogans such as “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi directly accused Washington and Tel Aviv of responsibility. Writing on X alongside an image of freshly dug graves, he said: “These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school. Their bodies were torn to shreds. This is how ‘rescue’ promised by Mr Trump looks in reality. From Gaza to Minab, innocents murdered in cold blood.”

The attack has been condemned by President Masoud Pezeshkian, who called it a “barbaric act” and “another black page” in a record of aggression. Tehran has called for international intervention, stating that hospitals, schools, and homes have been attacked as Iran and the aggressors exchange fire across the region.

The attack on the school, which was hit by several missiles, occurred about 600 metres away from an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base that had previously been attacked. At least 201 people were killed, and 747 injured, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, which monitors attacks across the country.

Deliberately attacking an educational institution, hospital, or any other civilian structure is a war crime under international humanitarian law.

The US military’s Central Command said that they were taking the claims seriously and that the safety of civilians was a top priority. Israel reiterated that they had no information about any attack in the region. The BBC was able to verify that the attack occurred, with footage of smoke and chaos at the scene, but could not confirm the death toll due to restricted access for international media.