UNESCO condemns deadly strike on girls’ school in southern Iran

ISTANBUL

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Sunday condemned a deadly missile strike that destroyed a girls’ primary school in Iran’s southern city of Minab, calling the attack a serious breach of international law amid escalating regional violence.

UNESCO said in a statement on social media that the bombing Saturday killed at least 150 people and wounded nearly 100 others, with many students believed to be among the victims.

The agency warned that schools are protected spaces under humanitarian law, stressing that “attacks against educational institutions endanger students and teachers and undermine the right to education.”

UNESCO joined other UN bodies and senior officials, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in denouncing both the ongoing military attacks and Iran’s retaliatory strikes across parts of the Middle East.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and UN Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai said on the US social media company X’s platform that she was “heartbroken and appalled” by the strike, adding “the killing of civilians, especially children, is unconscionable, and I condemn it unequivocally.”

She called for an end to the violence, writing that “all states and parties must uphold their obligations under international law to protect civilians and safeguard schools. Every child deserves to live and learn in peace.”