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At least 153 people, including many children, were killed after a reported missile strike struck a girls' school in the southern Iranian town of Minab, according to Iranian officials, as the country reels from a wave of U.S. and Israeli air operations.
Iran's Red Crescent said hundreds more were injured in the attack, which it described as one of the deadliest single incidents since strikes began across the country on Saturday morning. State media initially reported dozens dead, later revising the toll sharply upward as rescue teams pulled bodies from the rubble.
The school, identified by local outlets as Shajareh Tayyebeh, is located in Minab in Hormozgan province, near a base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Verified footage circulating online shows a collapsed building painted with childlike murals, smoke billowing into the sky, and rescuers digging through debris with cranes and shovels. Bloodied backpacks and scattered notebooks lay amid the wreckage.
Iranian authorities blamed both the United States and Israel for the strike. A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command said it was reviewing reports of civilian casualties and stressed that minimizing harm to civilians remains a priority. Israel's military said it was not aware of operations in the immediate area.
Saturday marks the start of Iran's workweek, meaning classrooms were likely full when explosions rocked cities nationwide. One health ministry official said most of those killed at the school were "young martyrs," adding that the number could rise as more victims are recovered.
The tragedy unfolded amid escalating strikes that Iranian media say have killed more than 200 people and injured hundreds more since the offensive began. The broader campaign followed the reported killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in an earlier airstrike, a claim that has further intensified regional tensions.
Online, reactions ranged from grief to fury. Some Iranians blamed foreign powers; others accused their own government of failing to protect civilians as the conflict deepens
