At a tense session in United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, calls intensified for accountability after a deadly strike on a school in Iran.
The attack, which killed more than 170 people, has sparked global condemnation and emotional appeals from victims’ families.
The UN rights chief has urged the United States to conclude its investigation into the strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab.
The emergency debate was convened after Iran raised the issue, highlighting the scale of casualties — mostly schoolchildren and teachers — during the early days of the US-Israel conflict.
Several countries expressed outrage, describing the killings as unacceptable and demanding clarity on how the attack occurred.
The US and Israeli missions to the United Nations in Geneva did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the strike or the status of investigations.
Notably, both countries’ seats remained empty during the session, reflecting their disengagement from the council.
Pakistan’s envoy Bilal Ahmad called the deaths of children “unconscionable,” while China’s ambassador Jia Guide said he was “deeply shocked.”
Questions over targeting and intelligence
The school was reportedly located near a base linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
However, UN Special Rapporteur Farida Shaheed questioned how such a site could be misidentified. She noted that even open-source investigations suggested the school was clearly marked and separate from military infrastructure.
She emphasized that the US military had the tools and obligation to verify targets before launching strikes.
The session took an emotional turn when Mohaddeseh Fallahat, a grieving mother, addressed the council.
She recounted the last morning with her children — combing their hair, tying their shoes, and hearing their final words: “Mum, come pick us up after school.”
Her voice captured the human cost behind the statistics. Both her children were among those killed when Tomahawk missiles struck the school.
“The room is silent. Much more silent than any home should ever be,” she said.
Iran calls attack ‘deliberate’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected claims of error, calling the strike intentional.
He argued that with advanced military technology, such a mistake was unlikely, accusing the US and Israel of committing “humanitarian crimes with impunity.”
He also linked the incident to broader patterns of conflict in the region, urging UN member states to condemn what he described as an unjustified war.
According to Shaheed, the school and nearby structures were hit individually using precision munitions.
This detail, she noted, suggests deliberate targeting rather than accidental damage, intensifying calls for transparency and accountability.
