TEHRAN – A U.S.-Israeli joint military strike on the Shajara Tayyebah elementary school for girls in the southern Iranian city of Minab on Saturday morning sparked widespread outrage among Iranian officials. They mourned the tragic massacre of the students, while vowing that they will respond to the heinous aggression, both on the ground, and inside international courtrooms.

The attack, which occurred around 10:45 AM while students were in class, has been universally condemned by high-ranking Iranian officials and bodies as a deliberate, barbaric atrocity and a clear war crime. Casualty figures provided in the statements vary, with some reporting 165 fatalities and dozens injured, while others cite figures such as 168 dead or 153 martyrs. The school reportedly housed 170 students in the morning shift.

The Headquarters for Human Rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly denounced the action, characterizing it as an “organized and unjustifiable heinous crime.” The statement emphasized that targeting a school during class hours nullifies any claim of military justification, constituting a “blatant violation” of the Geneva Conventions, specifically regarding the principle of distinction between civilian and military objectives and the prohibition of attacking civilian property. It also noted the violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The body vowed to pursue rigorous legal action nationally and internationally.

UNESCO echoed the legal concerns, calling the targeting of students in an educational setting a “serious violation” of international protections for schools and demanding adherence to international humanitarian law by all parties.

The reaction from the Iranian judiciary and executive branches focused heavily on retaliation. Head of the Judiciary Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated the crime will never be forgotten and asserted that the Iranian armed forces would deliver a “severe revenge” against the “American and Zionist child-killers.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian affirmed that the Islamic Republic “will neither be silent nor surrender” in the face of such a crime, adding that the targeting of children is a violation of fundamental human principles.

In a statement, Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref stressed that such a crime would “undoubtedly not go unanswered,” confirming that Iran’s armed forces are ready to deliver a “crushing and proportionate response.” He also committed the government to pursuing the matter in global legal and political forums.

Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted on social media showing the destroyed building, confirming that “These crimes against the Iranian people will not go unanswered.”

Furthermore, a Sunni religious leader in Iran, Abubakr Khojmali, called the attack a “cowardly aggression” and urged Iran’s military to respond in a way that sets a definitive lesson for future aggressors.

The Iranian people responded to the attack with the same level of anger. In the city of Minab, people took to the streets with images of the slaughtered girls and called on Iran’s military for “Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!” 

The U.S. and Israel have yet to address the massacre.