UN Probes Deadly US Strike on Iranian Girls School

The United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has officially commenced a probe into the horrifying missile attack that wiped out scores of innocent pupils at a primary school in southern Iran on the very first day of joint US-Israeli military operations.

NaijaChoice News reports that the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ Primary School in Minab, Hormozgan Province, was hit by two missiles in rapid succession during morning classes on February 28, 2026, reducing the building to rubble and claiming at least 168 lives – the vast majority young girls aged between seven and 12, with some reports putting the toll as high as 175.

Iranian officials broke the grim details to journalists in Geneva on Monday, describing scenes of parents and rescuers pulling tiny bodies from the debris in what has quickly become one of the most shocking civilian tragedies of the ongoing conflict.

At a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday, Max du Plessis, a member of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, confirmed the inquiry is now underway and backed by credible reports matching Iran’s casualty figures.

“We’re at an early stage of that investigation,” he told reporters. “It’s clear to us that whatever happens in respect of such an event, given the innocent lives that have been lost, there is a critical need for such an investigation to be done and for an independent outcome to follow.”

UN experts have wasted no time in slamming the strike as a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law, with one group declaring: “A strike on a school represents a grave assault on children, on education, and on the future of an entire community. There is no excuse for killing girls in a classroom.” They have demanded an urgent, independent investigation and full accountability, warning that attacks on civilian educational sites during school hours could amount to war crimes.

Fresh details emerging from American sources paint an even more disturbing picture. Reuters first broke the news that US military investigators now believe American forces carried out the strike, though the Pentagon insists the probe remains ongoing and has since been elevated to a higher command level.

Preliminary findings obtained by The New York Times point to a targeting blunder: US Central Command reportedly used outdated Defence Intelligence Agency data while hitting an adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base, mistakenly treating the long-separated school building – complete with its colourful walls and playground – as part of the military compound.

If US responsibility is confirmed, analysts say this would rank among the deadliest single incidents of civilian casualties in decades of American military actions across the Middle East.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have already joined the chorus, urging a full war-crimes investigation and warning that civilians – especially children – must never be treated as collateral damage.

As the 2026 Iran conflict continues to rage, with retaliatory strikes and rising tensions across the region, NaijaChoice News will keep tracking every development.