TEHRAN - The opening U.S. military strikes on Iran on February 28 are known for two things. The first is the assassination of Iran’s Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, which ultimately backfired on the two regimes by strengthening Iranian national unity and resolving a potential succession crisis that many had feared would follow Ayatollah Khamenei’s passing. The second is the brutal and tragic massacre of schoolgirls in southern Iran.

The latter strike has come to symbolize the sheer illegality of the U.S.-Israeli campaign. On the morning of that Saturday, a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in the city of Minab while classes were in session. According to verified reports, the attack used a “triple-tap” pattern—a method in which multiple missiles hit the same location in succession to maximize casualties among first responders. The school, which housed girls between the ages of 7 and 12, was completely destroyed. Official Iranian figures confirm that 168 schoolgirls were killed in the Minab attack.

In response, Iran launched an urgent diplomatic campaign to rally international condemnation. The country secured emergency sessions at both the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva and the UN Security Council in New York.

At the UNHRC, UN human rights chief Volker Türk addressed the emergency debate, stating that the bombing of the school evoked a “visceral horror.” He demanded that the United States conduct a “prompt, impartial, and transparent” investigation into the strike. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addressed the council via video link, calling the attack a “calculated, phased assault” and a “blatantly unjustified war of aggression.” He argued that given the advanced precision of U.S. weaponry, the strike on the school was deliberate and constitutes a war crime.

Several countries have joined Iran in condemning the attacks. China’s envoy to the UNHRC, Jia Guide, stated that the act “crosses the line of human morality” and accused the U.S. and Israel of launching the attack “brazenly without the authorization of the UN Security Council.” Russia called for a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure.

Even though this is a clear and blatant crime, divisions have emerged among Western states over whether it should be condemned. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez have expressed solidarity with the victims. German, British, and French leaders have yet to condemn the brutal assault.

Civilian protests have also taken place outside diplomatic channels. The Iran national football team held a protest before a match, wearing black armbands and holding school bags during the national anthem. In Geneva, a mother who lost two children in the attack addressed the Human Rights Council directly, demanding justice.

The U.S. military says it has launched an internal investigation into the Minab strike. U.S. President Donald Trump first claimed that Iran had carried out the attack. Later, the Pentagon leaked reports to U.S. media that sought to claim that the American military committed the war crime because it may have relied on “outdated targeting data” that incorrectly classified the school as a military compound.

As the war grinds on, the U.S. and Israel are increasingly carrying out attacks on schools, hospitals, and residential buildings. This escalation has been enabled by the United Nations and other international bodies, which have allowed the U.S. and Israel to kill international law in Gaza over the past several years. The blood of the Minab schoolgirls—and of every Palestinian child—is on the hands of these so-called diplomats and human rights activists.