A girls’ primary school in Minab, southern Iran, was struck on February 28 during a major US-Israeli air campaign, killing scores of students and leaving the building extensively damaged. The reported death toll rose repeatedly as rescue workers searched the site, from early accounts of more than 50 deaths to a later state-affiliated report of 115.
The supplied evidence does not support the event discovery note’s claim that at least 180 people were killed. It instead documents a fast-changing series of official and media reports: Al Jazeera initially said more than 50 people had reportedly died; France 24 cited Iran’s judiciary saying at least 85 students were killed; the Iranian Red Crescent later gave a figure of 108; and state-affiliated Fars News Agency subsequently reported 115.
Those numbers reflect different points in an active search and recovery operation. They should not be treated as simultaneous estimates or combined. The later figure of 115 is the highest supported school-specific toll in the evidence packet.
A school hit in Minab
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said the strike occurred in Minab, in Hormozgan province near the Strait of Hormuz. Video described by Al Jazeera showed the aftermath at a girls’ elementary school. The New Arab said footage circulating online showed extensive destruction and that reports indicated about 170 students had been inside the school when it was hit.
Early coverage varied. Al Jazeera reported more than 50 deaths. EFE’s supplied headline also referred to more than 50 girls killed, although its short excerpt mentioned at least 40 lives lost. Because that source material is internally inconsistent and contains little supporting detail, it is not used to establish the final toll.
France 24 later reported that Iran’s judiciary had raised the number to at least 85 students. The Iranian Red Crescent then said 108 students had died while rescue and debris-removal work continued, according to The New Arab. Fars later reported 115 deaths. All of these figures were attributed to Iranian institutions or state-linked media rather than independently verified counts from outside investigators.
Hormozgan is strategically important and hosts Iranian naval facilities. France 24 noted that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has a base in Minab, while The New Arab said the province contains several naval bases. The evidence does not identify the intended target of the specific strike or establish that a military facility near the school was attacked at the same moment. Proximity to military infrastructure therefore cannot be used to infer why the school was hit.
Responsibility and the initial US response
Iranian media and officials attributed the school strike to the United States and Israel. France 24 described it within the US-Israeli air campaign but reported that the White House had not immediately responded to a request for comment about the school.
The New Arab said the Pentagon also did not immediately answer its request. It quoted a US Central Command spokesperson, through The New York Times, saying the command was aware of reports of civilian harm, took them seriously and was reviewing them. The spokesperson said civilian protection was important and that precautions would continue. That statement acknowledged an investigation into reports; it did not confirm which force or weapon hit the school.
No Israeli response to the specific school strike appears in the supplied evidence. The article therefore attributes responsibility claims to Iranian authorities and describes the broader campaign without presenting an independently verified assignment for the individual impact.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the school attack and described it as part of a record of crimes by the attacking powers. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also addressed the incident. Their statements reflected Iran’s official position as the government assessed casualties from strikes across the country.
Part of a nationwide opening assault
The school was hit on the opening day of a large military operation against Iran. France 24 reported that the United States and Israel began strikes early on February 28, with an early attack near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian President Pezeshkian was also targeted, and Iranian media reported strikes across the country.
US President Donald Trump said in a social-media video that major combat operations had begun. Iran responded by launching missiles toward Israel and US military bases elsewhere in the Middle East. These broader events establish the wartime setting but do not answer the unresolved questions about targeting and responsibility at the Minab school.
The Iranian Red Crescent said by Saturday evening that at least 201 people had been killed and 747 wounded in attacks across Iran, according to The New Arab. That nationwide total is separate from the school toll and should not be read as an update to it. Keeping the two figures distinct is essential because both were changing during the same day.
Rescue work and an uncertain final toll
The progression from more than 50 reported deaths to 85, 108 and 115 shows the difficulty of establishing casualties while debris was still being cleared. A school building can contain concentrated groups of children and staff, making an impact especially deadly and complicating identification when the structure is badly damaged. The evidence confirms continuing relief work but does not provide a final independent count of survivors, injured students or school employees.
It also does not support a definitive total of 180 deaths at the school. Publishing that figure would collapse an unsupported discovery note into the historical record. The responsible account is that at least 115 deaths were reported by a state-affiliated Iranian outlet after earlier official figures rose throughout February 28, with the toll still dependent on Iranian sources.
The strike’s significance extends beyond the changing number. It placed children at the center of the first day of a rapidly expanding war and generated an immediate demand for an explanation from the forces conducting the air campaign. US officials said reports of civilian harm were under review, but the supplied material contains no completed investigation, target assessment or weapon analysis.
As of the event date, the verified picture remained incomplete: a girls’ school in Minab was devastated; Iranian authorities reported scores of students killed; rescue operations continued; and the highest supported report reached 115. Questions about the intended target, the force responsible for the specific strike and the final independently confirmed toll remained unresolved.
