Amnesty International has condemned the US for a deadly airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan province, Iran, which killed 168 people, including over 100 children. Evidence indicates that the school, though previously part of an IRGC compound, had been a separate civilian facility for several years, and US forces failed to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm, constituting a serious breach of international humanitarian law. Satellite imagery, video footage, and eyewitness testimony suggest that a US Tomahawk missile directly struck the school while also hitting 12 other structures in the adjacent IRGC compound, pointing to outdated intelligence or negligence in target verification.
Amnesty International stressed that US authorities must conduct a transparent, impartial, and thorough investigation into the strike, considering the use of intelligence, targeting decisions, and artificial intelligence tools in operational planning. Any individuals found criminally responsible should face prosecution, and victims and their families must receive truth, justice, and full reparation, including restitution and compensation. The attack demonstrates how failures in targeting or precaution can lead to catastrophic civilian casualties, and highlights the urgent need for accountability in armed conflicts.
Eyewitnesses and independent sources described the immediate aftermath of the attack, noting that parents and teachers attempted to evacuate children when the missile struck. The strike occurred shortly after an official nationwide school closure notice was issued, but the delay meant many children were still at the school. Satellite analysis shows that the school had been physically separated from the IRGC compound since at least 2016, with separate gates and entrances, and had been serving both children of IRGC personnel and low-income local families, including members of the Baluchi minority.
Amnesty International also highlighted the broader implications of intelligence failures and reliance on artificial intelligence in military operations. Despite the presence of accurate, publicly verifiable information on the school’s civilian status, US forces struck the building, underscoring a violation of the principle of precaution under international humanitarian law. The organization called on Iranian authorities to remove civilians from military zones where possible and to restore internet access to ensure that affected communities can access information and communicate with loved ones.
Analysis of satellite imagery, videos, and photographs dating back over a decade shows the school’s evolution from a former IRGC command building into a fully separated civilian school. This transformation, coupled with eyewitness accounts, confirms that the school had long been a civilian object, making the US strike a reckless or negligent attack that killed and injured large numbers of children, teachers, and parents. Amnesty International emphasized the urgent need for accountability, independent investigation, and reparations to prevent impunity and uphold international humanitarian law.
