TEHRAN - A ceremony was held on Sunday to plant ten thousand of saplings at the premises of Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran in memory of the students martyred by a US missile attack in Minab, southern Hormozgan province on February 28.

A 12,000-seater sports stadium, mainly hosting volleyball games, within the Azadi Sports Complex was destroyed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on March 2, Tasnim reported.

It added that the dormitory and new building of Iran's Cycling Federation, as well as a main swimming pool and parts of the Rowing Federation located in the complex, were also destroyed in the attack.

In the memory of the students of Shajareh Tayyebeh school, a park will also be created in Tehran.

The decision was made after the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei recommended people to plant trees to commemorate the martyred students.

Shajareh Tayyebeh was a primary school where boys and girls educated together. Up to 175 people were killed, the vast majority of them were little girls between the ages of seven and twelve.

“The effort reflects a national response to enemies; it also symbolizes hope, fertility, and development in the city,” ILNA quoted Mehdi Pirhadi, a member of Tehran’s city council, as saying.

The National Tree Planting Day (March 5) was observed this year in the special memory of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei who always recommended planting trees as a good and righteous act toward environmental protection.

The day is observed annually on the fifteenth day of Esfand, the last month on the Iranian calendar, marking the first day of the natural resources and watershed management week. 

The occasion has been approved to be registered on the national calendar as ‘Environmental Protection Education Day’. 

Every year on the National Tree Planting Day, the martyred leader invited people to plant trees and protect the environment, saying that doing such important work requires national support. 

In March 2025, the martyred Leader said planting trees is a beneficial act that highlights the nation’s foresight for creating wealth for future generations.

All people should participate in planting trees as a good and righteous act so that with the increase of trees, the living environment will be refreshed and clean, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

The martyred leader emphasized that planting trees is a profitable and rewarding investment. He noted that trees offer numerous advantages, like increasing oxygen levels and helping to reduce pollutants, making it a profitable investment choice. 

He also reminded the importance of the connection between man and nature and the preservation of the environment in Islam, noting that planting trees is not only related to young people. All people of different ages should find enthusiasm and motivation towards this important, necessary, and beautiful work.

Referring to a national plan, kicked off in December 2023, to plant up to one billion trees across the country over the course of four years to combat desertification and restore forests, the martyred leader said: “If each Iranian plants three saplings, the government’s goal to plant one billion saplings over the next four years will be realized.”