THOUSANDS OF MOURNERS gathered in the Iranian city of Minab this afternoon for the funerals of victims of an alleged air strike on a girls’ school in Iran. 

Iranian authorities said the explosion took place on the first day of the war on Saturday and is one of the largest single losses of civilian life reported in the conflict, with officials saying at least 165 people were killed.

One human rights group investigating the incident has said that about 170 students were expected to be attending the school at the time of the blast.

An analysis of footage by the New York Times estimated that half of the school building had been destroyed in the explosion.

• What do we know, and not know, about a devastating school bombing in Iran?

Neither the US nor Israel have claimed responsibility for the bombing, though US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that the Pentagon was investigating.

Coffins holding the bodies of mostly children are prepared for the funeral of those killed. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The United Nations has also called for a thorough investigation into the explosion. 

Iranian state television today carried images showing a large crowd of mourners in Minab weeping over what appear to be bodies wrapped in white shrouds.

Other images released by state media showed individuals preparing coffins draped in the Iranian flag, with some bearing photographs of children.

A third clip also shared by state media showed a large crowd gathered around similar caskets with a caption in Persian reading: “Prayer service for the children of Minab who perished.”

Another aerial image showed excavators digging out at least 100 graves at an unidentified mass burial site.

This picture, released by the Iranian government's foreign media department and distributed by the AP without changes, shows graves being prepared for the victims, mostly children, of the school bombing. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Minab is strategically located close to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, especially for oil and gas.

Calls for ‘prompt’ investigation

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), described the incident as “horrific” and called for “a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the attack”. 

“The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it. We call on them to make public the findings and ensure accountability and redress for victims,” Shamdasanin added. 

Rubio said yesterday that the US would not intentionally target a school.

This picture, released by the Iranian government's foreign media department, shows coffins being carried before a funeral procession for the victims. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“The United States would not deliberately target a school. Our objectives are missiles, both the ability to manufacture them and the ability to launch them,” he told reporters.

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What do we know, and not know, about a devastating school bombing in Iran?

The Pentagon was investigating the alleged incident, he added.

On Sunday, Israel’s military said it was not aware of any US or Israeli strike on a school.

“At this point not aware of an Israeli or an American strike there… We’re operating in an extremely accurate manner,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters.

Norway-based rights group Hengaw said it was investigating the identities of the victims.

In a statement, the organisation said the Shajare Tayyebeh school was holding its morning session at the time of the incident, which reportedly had about 170 students present.

The rights group said that the strike’s intended targets were reportedly the nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facilities. 

With reporting by © AFP 2026