At least 85 young girls were killed after an air strike hit a primary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on Saturday morning, as the US and Israel launched their largest coordinated military offensive against Iran to date. The victims, aged between seven and 12, were among 170 pupils at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Hormozgan province when the strike hit, with a further 60 students wounded. Saturday marks the first day of the school week in Iran, meaning classrooms were full when the bombs fell.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was among the first officials to publicly condemn the attack, posting on X alongside images of the destroyed building. 'The destroyed building is a primary school for girls in the south of Iran,' he wrote. 'It was bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils. Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone. These crimes against the Iranian people will not go unanswered.' The Israeli military's situation room said it was 'looking into' reports of fatalities at the school but had not issued a formal response at the time of publication. The White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
'Operation Epic Fury' Spreads Across Iran
The strike on Minab came within hours of President Donald Trump announcing 'major combat operations' against Iran in a video posted to his Truth Social account in the early hours of Saturday. The operation, codenamed 'Operation Epic Fury' by the Pentagon and 'Operation Roaring Lion' by Israel, targeted cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah, with explosions reported across the capital as residents set out for the start of the working week. 'Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,' Trump said, adding that the US would 'destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground' and 'annihilate their navy.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the US had embarked on an operation to 'remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.' Unlike previous strikes, the US military was planning for several days of attacks — a significant escalation from the June 2025 operation, which was completed within hours. Months of joint planning reportedly preceded the offensive, with Israeli military officials saying the preparation allowed them to achieve tactical surprise.
President Donald J. Trump on the United States military combat operations in Iran: pic.twitter.com/LimJmpLkgZ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2026
Iran Fires Back Across the Region
Iran responded swiftly, launching ballistic missiles at Israel and at US military bases across the Middle East, with blasts reported in Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had specifically targeted the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. The US Embassy in Bahrain subsequently announced it would close on Sunday and cancelled all consular appointments. Oman Air and Kuwait Airways suspended flights to Baghdad, while airspace over Israel, Iran, and Iraq was shut down. Russia also temporarily suspended flights to both Iran and Israel.
A staff member at the Minab school, who asked not to be named, said that she had stepped outside briefly when she heard a 'horrifying sound', then returned to find girls' bodies 'lying on classroom benches and in different corners of the school.' She said she would never forget what she saw.
The destroyed building is a primary school for girls in the south of Iran. It was bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) February 28, 2026
Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone.
These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered. pic.twitter.com/AVqiuolgWm
Talks Had Only Just Failed
The strikes came just two days after the latest round of nuclear negotiations between US and Iranian officials in Geneva on Thursday. Oman's foreign minister said had made 'significant progress.' Iranian state news agency IRNA had published a commentary on Friday signalling disappointment with the outcome, blaming Washington's 'clashing positions' for jeopardising the talks. Trump, in his video, claimed Iran had 'rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions' and had attempted to rebuild its nuclear programme following prior US strikes on its facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency, however, had stated there was no evidence that Iran had resumed uranium enrichment.
The killing of dozens of children at a primary school in Minab has sharpened international focus on civilian casualties in what is now the most expansive US military operation since the Iraq War. With Iran vowing a crushing retaliation and US forces already bracing for Iranian strikes on their regional bases, the conflict shows no sign of containment. The UN Security Council announced an emergency meeting at 4 pm ET on Saturday to discuss the situation. How long 'Operation Epic Fury' lasts — and at what human cost — remains deeply uncertain.
