Minab, Iran — Thousands of mourners gathered on Tuesday, March 03, 2026 in the southern city of Minab for a mass funeral ceremony honoring 165 schoolgirls, teachers, and staff killed in a devastating strike on a girls’ elementary school earlier in the conflict, Iranian state media and witnesses said.
The funeral procession — one of the largest seen in Iran since the outbreak of hostilities — took place amid deep national grief and outrage. Coffins draped in Iranian flags and adorned with flowers were carried through the streets as families, local officials, and residents paid their respects.
Iranian authorities say the deaths occurred during an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Hormozgan province, which was hit on February 28, 2026 during the first day of widespread military action involving the United States and Israel. The toll of 165 victims, mostly young girls aged between 7 and 12, has made the strike the deadliest single civilian casualty event in the ongoing conflict.
Images and video footage from the funeral showed grieving crowds filling public squares and chanting slogans while carrying photographs of the deceased. Iranian leaders, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, offered condolences, calling the loss “heartbreaking” and condemning the attack as a grave tragedy.
Iranian state media and officials have blamed the fatal strike on United States and Israeli military forces, though both Washington and Jerusalem have denied deliberately targeting the school and say they are reviewing reports of civilian harm. Independent verification of responsibility for the strike remains limited.
The incident has drawn widespread international concern. The United Nations human rights office has urged a prompt, impartial investigation into the circumstances of the attack, emphasizing that civilian targets such as schools are protected under international humanitarian law.
Human rights advocates and global leaders have condemned the loss of life and called for accountability and measures to safeguard civilians amid escalating military operations in the region. The funeral in Minab underscored the profound human cost of the conflict and heightened fears over the impact of continued hostilities on innocent populations.