What Happened at the Bombed School in Minab?

IranWire stresses that targeting a children’s school in wartime - no matter how many victims there are - constitutes a “serious violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.” In this report, we take a closer look at the conflicting claims made by the Islamic Republic about the children killed at Shajareh Tayyibeh School in Minab. What is known about the school and the students who lost their lives?

At around 10:45 AM on February 26, a missile hit an elementary school in Minab, killing several students, teachers, and parents.

UNESCO, United Nations, UNICEF, the International Parliamentary Network for Education, and Malala Yousafzai all responded to the attack, urging stronger protection for schools and children in conflict zones.

The news of the missile strike was quickly amplified by media outlets linked to the Islamic Republic, while anti-war groups cited the incident as further reason to demand an end to the fighting. Yet three days on, serious questions still surround this “crime.”

Where exactly is the Shajareh Tayyibeh School located? Why were male students reportedly present at the “Shajareh Tayyibeh Girls’ School” in Minab? Why did state news agencies rely on AI-generated images on the first day of reporting the attack? And if more than a hundred students were killed, why does the number of prepared graves appear to be far lower?

Which School Was Hit by the Missile?

The Shajareh Tayyibeh School in Minab is affiliated with the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). On certain maps, the site of the school is marked as the “Sayyid al-Shuhada Barracks.”

A closer look at additional maps and satellite images shows that the “Shajareh Tayyibeh IRGC Navy Girls’ School of Minab” sits next to - and within the boundaries of - several IRGC facilities, including the “Shahid Absalan Clinic” (run by the IRGC Navy Medical Command) and the “Sayyid al-Shuhada IRGC Cultural Complex.”

The map of the “Sayyid al-Shuhada-Asef IRGC Barracks” perimeter shows that the school is situated within that compound. The affiliation of the Minab school is not limited to its geography. According to local sources, while registration was open to the general public, priority was always given to the children of IRGC Navy personnel in the province.

Shajareh Tayyibeh schools are a specific category within Iran’s educational system. They fall under the corporate and headquarters management of the IRGC Navy’s Shajareh Tayyibeh school network. These schools derive their name from the concept of “Hayat-e Tayyibeh” (The Pure Life) in the Document for Fundamental Transformation of Education, which aims for a “pure and desirable life” based on Islamic criteria.

How Many Students Were Victims of This Crime?

From the early hours until the conclusion of the burial ceremonies, officials emphasized that this was a “girls’ school.” All content produced by state-affiliated media or individuals close to the regime stressed the female-only nature of the institution.

Over time, however, it became clear that the school also had male students, or at least that some of the victims were boys.

On March 3, Mehdi Keshtdar, head of the Judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency, stated that 110 students had been killed in the attack—66 boys and 54 girls. On the same day, the Iran newspaper, citing Minab Governor Mohammad Radmehr, published a handwritten list of victims that included 44 boys and 76 girls.

Neither account clarified why or how such a large number of boys were reportedly inside a girls’ school during the early hours of the morning. In Iran, schools are strictly segregated by gender, making it unlikely that the boys were even preschool-aged - particularly given that Shajareh Tayyibeh schools are considered to follow more conservative religious standards.

The total number of victims has also fluctuated significantly. In the first few hours, the count was five students. This quickly rose to 40, and by the night of February 26 (9 Esfand), the count reached 108. By the end of the second day, following the “conclusion of search operations,” the death toll was announced as 165. Simultaneously, Mehr News Agency, quoting the Department of Education, stated that of the 168 killed, only 99 had been fully identified, adding that families must undergo DNA testing to identify the remaining “student martyrs.”

By the third day, during the funerals, Fars News Agency (affiliated with the IRGC) reported 168 dead and 110 injured.

No clear figures have been provided about the adults who were at the school. Mizan News Agency reported that 26 female teachers and four parents were killed, while other accounts said that 14 teachers - out of a total staff of 35 - were among the victims.

Published Images of This Atrocity

Until the end of February 26, the most prominent image published regarding the missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyibeh Girls’ School was the picture of a bloody schoolbag.

Even official news agencies such as Fars and Tasnim used images created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to publish this news.

Fars and Tasnim are the primary media arms of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC). The use of AI-generated imagery in the immediate aftermath of the strike has sparked intense debate. Critics argue that the regime used synthetic media to “beautify” or exaggerate the tragedy for international propaganda before actual journalists could reach the remote site in Minab. For non-Iranian readers, this highlights the high-stakes “information war” running parallel to the physical conflict.

By the end of the first day, only one image of a child victim of the missile strike had been published. The following day, several images of black body bags were released by media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Republic, captioned “Victims of the U.S. and Israeli Crime.” In these images, however, only two bodies are wearing the school’s specific uniform: a green tunic and a white headscarf.

On March 3, new images were released showing a morgue-like environment with approximately 40 bodies in total inside black covers. In two of these images, young girls are seen in the school’s uniform. Another image shows a child who is likely a younger boy.

On March 3, additional images were released showing graves being prepared for those killed in the attack on the school. While these images do not appear to be AI-generated, they show far fewer than a hundred graves - despite official figures claiming a significantly higher death toll.

In photos of the funeral procession for the Shajareh Tayyibeh victims published by Fars News Agency, roughly 50 coffins can be seen, about half of them belonging to children. In a video released from the ceremony, however, only five children’s bodies are clearly visible.

An attack on a children’s school during wartime, regardless of the number of victims, is a “serious violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.” The Islamic Republic, however, by emphasizing the number of victims, launched a propaganda campaign in line with its goals.

Hamshahri newspaper published a video claiming that the mother of one of the killed children says: “This is my Basiji, this is my beheaded commander; my son’s head was not found.” The video also introduces another student who, as a school assignment, had written: “I will build a missile to destroy Israel.”