Questions are mounting globally after a deadly strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran killed more than 160 people, most of them children, in one of the deadliest incidents since the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
The attack, which hit a primary school in Minab on February 28, has triggered international concern, with the United Nations saying it was “deeply disturbed” by the deaths and calling for investigations into the incident.
While Iran has blamed the United States and Israel, responsibility for the strike remains disputed, with investigations ongoing.
Early reports suggest the possibility of a US strike based on faulty intelligence, though no final conclusion has been reached.
Speaking to journalists in Kampala on Wednesday, Iran’s ambassador to Uganda, Majid Saffar, said the attack was deliberate and targeted civilians.
“This was not an accident. The school was bombed twice within hours, even when it was clear that it was not a military installation,” Saffar told journalists at the Iranian embassy in Kololo.
He added: “By killing these children, the United States has destroyed a future generation of doctors, engineers and physicists.”
Saffar questioned US interests in countries such as Iran and Venezuela, saying they are interested in “our resources, especially oil.”
He said Iran would prevail in the ongoing conflict.
“Iran will win this war against the United States and Israel,” he said.
Saffar also called on the international community to act by putting pressure on the United States to stop what he called “this needless war.”
On Iran’s nuclear programme, Saffar rejected accusations that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons.
“Our facilities have been inspected by international bodies, including the United Nations. Claims that we are building nuclear missiles are unfounded,” he said.
The strike on the Minab school has become a focal point in the wider conflict, with competing narratives emerging from all sides.
US officials have said they do not deliberately target civilians, while confirming that an investigation into the incident is under way.
At the embassy in Kololo, a photograph of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was prominently displayed on Saffar’s desk.
“He is a martyr,” Saffar said of the late leader.
