US-Israeli bombs struck Minab's Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school on February 28, the first day of the unprovoked aggression against Iran. Many victims were girls and boys between seven and twelve years old, while 26 female teachers were also killed.
On the same afternoon, American Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) hit a sports hall in Lamerd filled with civilians—including teenage volleyball players, women, men, and a two-year-old girl.
Ambassador Ali Bahraini held a virtual conference on Tuesday with Rahimeh Shahabi, a volleyball coach who witnessed the Lamerd massacre; Leila Ghavidel, a mother who lost her child in the Minab school attack; and Fatemeh Zahra Sheikhabadi, a young survivor of the same school bombing.
The meeting was convened to thank them for their courage in sharing their testimonies before the UN Human Rights Council during the March 27 urgent debate.
"The duty of justice demands that we ensure the victimization of the victims and crimes against civilians are not forgotten over time," Bahraini declared, calling the Minab attack a "symbol of the victimhood of Iranian students."
"Today, there is no country that does not recognize the criminal nature of this attack or is unfamiliar with the name of Minab School."
The Iranian envoy recalled the emergency session of the Human Rights Council—initiated by Tehran's permanent mission in Geneva and focused on the Minab tragedy—and stressed that narrating the massacre and repeating condemnation must continue internationally.
"Without any doubt, responsibility for this act lies with the United States and Israel as the aggressors," Bahraini said. "Targeting civilians—including schools and children—is an extremely reprehensible and abhorrent act."
Bahraini described the Lamerd attack, involving prohibited weapons, as a "war crime" and emphasized the need to pursue accountability through legal and international frameworks.
"The merciless targeting of the Minab school and the killing of young girls between the ages of 7 and 12 is a war crime prohibited under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court," the ambassador said.
During the virtual session, Ghavidel, mother of slain student Benyamin Jangjoo, criticized the irresponsibility of US leaders and demanded condemnation. She called for continued efforts to prevent the rights of martyrs' families from being ignored.
Shahabi, the volleyball coach, underscored the civilian nature of the Lamerd target and called for victims' families to be heard.
"History proves that Iran neither surrenders to foreign pressures nor tolerates covert aggression under the guise of 'concern,'" Bahraini said.
The ambassador praised the Iranian Red Crescent Society's relief operations, noting Iran's response rendered the country self-sufficient and independent of foreign aid.
"Every international official who has visited Iran and witnessed the society's activities firsthand has acknowledged its capabilities and skills," he said.
Mojtaba Khaledi of the Red Crescent said rescue workers entered attacked buildings under constant threat of unexploded ordnance. "There was a risk of explosions at any moment," he said.
At the March 27 urgent debate, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said: "The bombing of Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab evoked a visceral horror.”
"Whatever differences countries have, we can all agree they will not be solved by killing schoolchildren," Türk added, calling on the US and Israel to end attacks against Iran.
UN experts stated: "A strike on a school represents a grave assault on children, on education, and on the future of an entire community. There is no excuse for killing girls in a classroom."
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as "the visible tip of a far bigger iceberg—one that conceals beneath its surface far graver catastrophes."
Bahraini stated that legal and political follow-ups are continuing, and Iran's Geneva mission will persist in its duty to inform, condemn, and preserve the memory of the victims.
"Narrating the truth and defending the rights of victims must be pursued with seriousness," he said.
Press TV