Children Caught in War: UN Demands Answers After Deadly Strike on Iranian School
The United Nations has expressed deep alarm following reports that more than 160 children were killed in the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, further intensifying global concern over the protection of children in armed conflict.
The strike, which occurred on the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, has drawn condemnation from the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, which said it was “deeply disturbed” by the reported deaths and injuries.
The development follows earlier reports that at least 153 people, many of them children, were killed in the incident. The rising death toll highlights the devastating consequences when schools, which should remain protected civilian spaces, become sites of violence.
The Committee warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure such as schools and hospitals not only claim young lives but also inflict lasting psychological trauma on surviving children. Such incidents undermine children’s fundamental rights to education, safety, and healthy development.
International humanitarian law obligates all parties in conflict to take every feasible precaution to protect civilians, particularly children. Schools are meant to be safe havens where children can learn and grow, even in fragile environments. When they are struck, the damage goes far beyond the immediate loss of life, disrupting education systems and destabilizing entire communities.
The U.N. human rights office has called for a thorough investigation into the attack and urged those responsible to provide transparency about what happened.
As the conflict escalates, the tragedy in Minab serves as a stark reminder that protecting children must remain a central priority in any military operation.
