An Israeli strike hit an elementary girls’ school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on Saturday, killing at least 85 people, according to Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim News Agency. Civilian casualties rose amid a wave of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Al Jazeera, citing Iranian state media, reported that the strike struck a girls’ school in Hormozgan province near the Strait of Hormuz. Tasnim quoted the Judiciary of Minab, stating that the death toll reached 85. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that 63 people were injured and said crews continued to clear debris at the site.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shared a photo of the damage and stated that the strike destroyed the girls’ school and killed “innocent children.” He wrote on X, according to Al Jazeera, that “these crimes against the Iranian people will not go unanswered.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei called the attack a “blatant crime” and urged action from the United Nations Security Council, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Iranian media also reported another school strike elsewhere in the country. Al Jazeera mentioned that Iran’s Mehr news agency reported at least two students died in an attack on a school east of Tehran.
The reports emerged as the United States and Israel executed a coordinated operation against Iranian targets across the country on Saturday. This marked a sharp escalation in a conflict that led to missile retaliation by Iran and emergency measures by governments in the region. Reuters reported that the strikes targeted senior Iranian officials and military infrastructure, with Iran responding by firing missiles at Israel and Gulf countries hosting U.S. forces.
Reuters also reported that a girls’ primary school in Minab was hit, with state media quoting a local prosecutor who stated 85 people were killed. Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports, and Israel’s military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The destroyed building is a primary school for girls in the south of Iran. It was bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils.
Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone.
These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered. pic.twitter.com/AVqiuolgWm
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) February 28, 2026
Israel ordered the closure of schools and limited public gatherings as Iran launched retaliatory missiles, according to a different report from Reuters. Airlines canceled or rerouted flights due to airspace restrictions across parts of the Middle East.
Minab is located in Hormozgan province in southern Iran, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments. Reuters reported that Iran issued a warning to shipping that the strait had been closed, and markets expected higher oil prices when trading resumed.
The UN Security Council was expected to meet on Saturday as the crisis deepened. Reuters reported that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate end to hostilities.
Iranian officials have labeled the attacks as illegal and unprovoked. In contrast, U.S. officials claimed the operation aimed to neutralize threats from Iran and prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters.
Iran’s casualty figures and details of the school strike remained subject to verification outside Iran on Saturday. However, the descriptions from Iranian media and the reported toll highlighted the rising civilian cost as the conflict escalated.
