Amidst escalation of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, an airstrike obliterated Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls' Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan province, claiming dozens of young lives and injuring scores more on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
Iranian authorities blame joint US and Israeli forces for the direct hit on the all-girls primary school during morning classes, amid widespread strikes targeting military sites across the country.
The incident, one of the bloodiest civilian tragedies in the ongoing conflict, has sparked outrage over the loss of innocent children, with the school located near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base.
Rescue teams continue digging through rubble as the death toll climbs, according to state media and officials.
Local officials condemned the attack as deliberate targeting of civilians.
One provincial official stated to Iranian media: “In today’s attacks by the Zionist regime on Minab city, a girls’ elementary school was targeted and so far 5 students have been martyred.”
Minab’s Special Governor Mohammad Radmehr told IRNA: “This morning, the girls’ school of the city’s Derakht-e Tayyeba girls’ elementary school was attacked directly by the Zionist regime, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of students.”
Reports indicate up to 170 girls were in attendance during the Saturday morning shift when the strike occurred, leaving parents in agony as they searched for their daughters amid the chaos.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency and judiciary sources reported significantly higher casualties, with the death toll rising sharply.
IRNA initially cited more than 40 killed and 45 wounded, but later updates from the judiciary and state broadcaster IRIB placed the figure at least 85 dead — mostly schoolgirls aged 7 to 12 — and over 90 injured, with some sources mentioning up to 57 students martyred and 60 wounded early on.
Iran's judiciary confirmed the toll reached 85 at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, describing it as a "crime" amid the broader offensive that also struck defense infrastructure.
Human rights concerns mount as videos show extensive destruction and desperate rescuers pulling survivors from debris
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