Pezeshkian Decries School Strike in Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a scathing condemnation on Saturday following a devastating strike on a school in southern Iran, labelling the act “barbaric.”

The attack occurred amidst a massive joint military operation by U.S. and Israeli forces, which targeted multiple locations across the Islamic Republic.

Pezeshkian characterised the strike as a “black page” in a history of crimes committed by foreign aggressors, as the nation grapples with the fallout of the coordinated aerial campaign.

According to Iranian state media, the strike on the school in the city of Minab resulted in the deaths of at least 63 people and left dozens of others wounded.

Reports indicate that many of the casualties were young students, and rescue teams have been working through the rubble to locate survivors.

The incident has sparked immediate outrage within Iran, further inflaming an already volatile situation as the conflict between Tehran and the U.S.-Israeli alliance reaches a critical boiling point.

The broader military campaign, which included strikes on major cities like Tehran, Isfahan, and Bushehr, was reportedly launched as a preemptive measure by the Trump administration and Israeli leadership.

While the allied forces claim to be targeting military and nuclear infrastructure, the strike in Hormozgan province has drawn international scrutiny over civilian tolls.

In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has already initiated a large-scale retaliatory drone and missile offensive against regional targets.

As the death toll from the school strike continues to rise, President Pezeshkian’s administration faces the dual challenge of managing a domestic humanitarian crisis and a direct military confrontation.

The president’s statement emphasised that such “countless crimes” would not go unanswered, signalling that Iran intends to escalate its defence.

With both sides now engaged in direct combat across the Middle East, the strike on Minab stands as one of the deadliest single incidents of the current escalation.