Funeral Procession Honors Child Victims of Alleged Military Strike on Iranian Girls' School
A solemn funeral was conducted on Tuesday in Minab, Iran, for victims of what Iranian officials describe as an Israeli-US military strike on a girls' elementary school. The attack, which occurred on February 28, resulted in the deaths of at least 165 students, according to Iranian authorities, with many of the victims being children.
Pentagon's Evasive Response and Ongoing Investigation
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the incident with limited details, stating the United States is "investigating" the deadly strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school. He emphasized that the US does not intentionally target civilian locations but confirmed that authorities are examining the event thoroughly.
"All I can say is we're investigating that," Hegseth remarked when questioned about the bombing. "We, of course, never target civilian targets, but we're taking a look and investigating that."
The strike coincided with the initial day of US and Israeli military operations against Iran. Iranian state media reported that in addition to the fatalities, 96 individuals sustained injuries, many of whom were students attending classes at the targeted educational institution.
United Nations Calls for Accountability and Investigation
The United Nations human rights office has urged the forces responsible for the attack to conduct a comprehensive investigation and disclose information regarding the incident. While the UN did not specify which party it holds accountable, it described the event as a "deadly attack on a girls' school in Iran."
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed alarm in an official statement, highlighting reports of strikes on civilian infrastructure such as schools and hospitals that have injured and traumatized children, claiming numerous young lives. The committee stressed that children must be protected from the horrors of war.
Additional Military Actions and Political Developments
Hegseth also confirmed on Wednesday that a US submarine executed a deadly strike on an Iranian frigate near the Sri Lankan coast, resulting in over 80 casualties. The Pentagon chief declared that the US will achieve complete, uncontested control of Iranian airspace within days, asserting, "We are just getting started. We are accelerating, not decelerating."
In related political news, Senate Republicans rejected a resolution that would have required former President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval before continuing military engagement with Iran. Democrats had raised concerns about the legality of the campaign and the risk of prolonged conflict.
Broader Context and Additional Updates
Top US military officials informed lawmakers in a confidential briefing that the nation is rapidly depleting its supply of defensive missile interceptors to counter Iranian attack drones, despite the Trump administration publicly downplaying these concerns.
Other significant developments include:
- The US House oversight committee subpoenaed US Attorney General Pam Bondi as part of the ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
- A recent poll indicates that half of Americans support abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency amid growing opposition to Trump's immigration policies.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney proposed a partnership with Australia, referring to the nations as "strategic cousins," to enhance their negotiating power against dominant superpowers including the US under Trump.
- A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempt to halt New York City's congestion pricing toll, ruling that the US Department of Transportation lacked authority to rescind the approval initially granted by President Joe Biden.
Further details have emerged regarding four American service members killed in an unmanned aircraft system attack in Kuwait's Shuaiba port on Sunday, marking the first known US fatalities since the military campaign against Iran commenced on Saturday.
