The UN's human rights chief has urged the US to conclude its investigation and publish its findings into a deadly strike on an Iranian primary school that happened on the first day of the war last month. The bombing 'evoked a visceral horror', Volker Türk said at an urgent UN Human Rights Council debate, adding that there 'must be justice for the terrible harm done'.
The attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh school consisted of two missile strikes in quick succession that killed at least 168 people, including about 110 children, Iranian officials have said. US media have reported that American military investigators believe its own forces were likely responsible for hitting the school unintentionally. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said the matter was being investigated.
The strike, if a US role were to be confirmed, would amount to one of its worst single cases of civilian casualties in decades of US conflicts in the Middle East. 'The images of bombed-out classrooms and grieving parents showed clearly who pays the highest price for war: civilians with no power in the decisions that led to conflict,' Türk said.
He said that 'the onus is on those who carried out the attack to investigate it promptly, impartially, transparently and thoroughly'. Senior US officials have said the strike is under investigation, leading Türk to call for the findings to be made public.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi labeled the bombing a 'deliberate and intentional' attack by the US, stating, 'This atrocity cannot be justified, cannot be concealed, and must not be met with silence and indifference.'
Earlier this month, Senate Democrats wrote to Hegseth demanding answers, questioning whether the US carried out the strike in Minab. The Pentagon has stated it will respond to the letter as with all congressional correspondence.
Moreover, investigations reveal that the intended target of the strike was an adjacent base belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). However, satellite imagery indicates the school had operated as a civilian institution since 2018.
As the situation unfolds, the UN has opened its own fact-finding mission while experts analyze the implications of the bombing on civilian life and international law.
The attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh school consisted of two missile strikes in quick succession that killed at least 168 people, including about 110 children, Iranian officials have said. US media have reported that American military investigators believe its own forces were likely responsible for hitting the school unintentionally. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said the matter was being investigated.
The strike, if a US role were to be confirmed, would amount to one of its worst single cases of civilian casualties in decades of US conflicts in the Middle East. 'The images of bombed-out classrooms and grieving parents showed clearly who pays the highest price for war: civilians with no power in the decisions that led to conflict,' Türk said.
He said that 'the onus is on those who carried out the attack to investigate it promptly, impartially, transparently and thoroughly'. Senior US officials have said the strike is under investigation, leading Türk to call for the findings to be made public.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi labeled the bombing a 'deliberate and intentional' attack by the US, stating, 'This atrocity cannot be justified, cannot be concealed, and must not be met with silence and indifference.'
Earlier this month, Senate Democrats wrote to Hegseth demanding answers, questioning whether the US carried out the strike in Minab. The Pentagon has stated it will respond to the letter as with all congressional correspondence.
Moreover, investigations reveal that the intended target of the strike was an adjacent base belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). However, satellite imagery indicates the school had operated as a civilian institution since 2018.
As the situation unfolds, the UN has opened its own fact-finding mission while experts analyze the implications of the bombing on civilian life and international law.
