Kamal Ghorui
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi took to X to share a heart-wrenching photo of graves being dug after a joint military strike by US and Israel hit a girls school, killing more than 150.“Their bodies were torn to shreds,” Araghchi wrote in a social media post on Monday, sharing an image of mourners gathered beside long, orderly rows of freshly dug graves. White chalk rectangles marked burial plots across an open dirt field.
“These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school. Their bodies were torn to shreds. This is how “rescue” promised by Mr. Trump looks in reality. From Gaza to Minab, innocents murdered in cold blood,” wrote Araghchi.Strike on Minab schoolIranian authorities say the school in the southern city of Minab was full of young pupils at the time it was struck. According to official figures, more than 150 people were killed, including children, and at least 60 others were injured. These numbers have not yet been verified.Videos verified by international media outlets showed rescue workers digging through slabs of collapsed concrete, charred walls still standing amid debris, and school bags being pulled from the rubble.At the United Nations, Iran described the attack as a deliberate strike on civilian infrastructure and labelled it a war crime and a crime against humanity.Neither the United States nor Israel has publicly confirmed that the school itself was targeted. US Central Command said in a statement that it was aware of reports of civilian harm and was reviewing the matter.“We take these reports seriously and are looking into them. The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimize the risk of unintended harm,” the statement said, adding that there were not yet sufficient verified facts to reach a firm legal conclusion.
What International Law saysUnder international humanitarian law, all parties to an armed conflict must adhere to three core principles: distinction, proportionality and military necessity. They are also required to take all feasible precautions to minimise incidental harm to civilians.The principle of distinction obliges warring parties to differentiate between civilian objects and military targets. Civilians and civilian infrastructure — including schools and hospitals — are protected and may not be directly targeted. In cases of doubt, an object must be presumed civilian. Children are afforded special protection under international law.However, civilian objects can lose protected status if they are used for military purposes. A school functioning as a base, command post or weapons site could qualify as a legitimate military objective. At present, there is no independent evidence indicating that the Minab school was being used for military activities.If the school was struck incidentally during an attack on the nearby IRGC facility, the legality of the strike would hinge on whether the anticipated civilian harm was excessive in relation to the concrete military advantage gained. Commanders must also demonstrate that all feasible precautions were taken, including weapon selection and timing.
