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This account is a harrowing narrative of an unjust war, describing the assault of American missiles on an elementary school in the small city of Minab, in Hormozgan—the southernmost province of the country.
The only classrooms left are a few on the upper floor, which are now practically inaccessible due to the destruction of the stairs. The preschool classroom on the ground floor still has its walls standing, but they are riddled with holes, the windows are gone, and the ground is torn apart.
This is the “Shajareh Tayyebeh” elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan. Minab is one of the southernmost cities of Iran. Its residents never imagined a missile would strike their city; they used to say, “Trump doesn’t even know where Minab is, let alone want to hit it.” At 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, Esfand 9, 1404 (February 28, 2026), the first American missile struck the school. The second missile followed shortly after. Students who had taken shelter in the prayer hall and inside the building, fearing attack and bombardment, lost their lives instantly. A total of 156 people—at the school and the adjacent pharmacy (including the six-month-old fetus of one of the teachers)—were killed by three missiles that hit the site.
The school had a total of 403 students: 186 boys, 174 girls, 43 preschool children, and 36 staff members. Of those present that day, around 140 boys, 144 girls, the preschool children, and 10 staff members survived. Forty-seven female students, seventy-three male students, and twenty-six staff members were killed.
That Saturday became the bitterest day of my life
Zahra, a young sixth-grade survivor
She sat across from me, holding back tears. She was barely eleven. She wore an Arabic-style chador. Her mother, dressed in a green coat with a matching headscarf, stood behind the camera holding her younger daughter’s hand, waiting.
Her mother said: “I asked her, do you want to go? If you won’t feel bad, let’s go—but you don’t have to. She said she wants to go and talk. After your interview, we have to go to our counseling session. Both of us are receiving counseling.”
Zahra is small. Even her chador is small, loosely draped over her head like women of the past. Her curly hair spills out from beneath it. Her face is beautiful. I find myself unable to look away from her eyes.
She recounts the day of the incident. At times she tries hard not to cry, not to sob—but she cannot hold back. She wipes her tears with her small hands and continues.
She speaks of her classmates, the moment of the explosion, the building shaking, the smoke filling everything, the upper corridor collapsing, the classroom filling with dust, herself and her friend thrown to the ground, her friend dizzy, struggling to make it downstairs.
I ask: “Were the stairs even intact for you to come down?”
She says: “No, there was a lot of debris. We climbed down over it. Part of the upper floor collapsed onto the lower floor. The stairs were gone.”
She describes that Saturday:
“We were at school. The teachers came out of a meeting and said we were dismissed—they would call our parents to come pick us up. We got curious and asked why. They said go watch the news. We suspected—did war start? Our counselor said yes, war has started, go watch the news for the rest. A few minutes later, I was in class when the first missile hit. The window glass shattered. Everyone was screaming. Then a few seconds later, the second missile hit. After that, our corridor collapsed, and a dim light appeared. With the help of our teacher and some friends, I went downstairs. I fell while climbing down the debris. A man lifting rubble told me: just run, go outside. I ran out. All the parents were there, shouting their children’s names, searching, crying. It was terrible.”
She breaks down crying again.
“When I came out, I only saw two of my friends. Ten out of the twelve students in our class survived, along with our teacher. Zahra Soleimani and Mahdieh Ahmadzadeh were killed. That day felt like a movie. Like a dream. I kept telling myself, God, this must be a dream.”
Sobhan and Hanan were the happiest children in the world
We head to Sobhan and Hanan’s home. Mohammadreza Ahmadi, their young father, greets us. He had four children—now he has two. From their six-person household, nine-year-old Sobhan and seven-year-old Hanan (Hanieh) are gone.
“My children were two years apart. They were friends. Different personalities, but inseparable. One wouldn’t eat without the other. Sobhan was calm and gentle; Hanieh was lively, always making us laugh. The house was always full of their laughter.”
He points to where we sit: “I used to play football with Sobhan right here.”
“On Saturday, I was at home. Around 11, they called and said school was dismissed—come pick up your children. On my way, before reaching 22 Bahman Square, I heard an explosion. Then another. Traffic stopped. I parked and ran. When I got there, the school was destroyed.”
He searched for an hour before they told him Sobhan had been found—dead.
“At the hospital, there were so many bodies they didn’t have enough body bags. They were placing children in plastic. Many were unrecognizable. I couldn’t accept it.”
He pauses.
“I recognized Sobhan by his socks. That morning, he wanted to wear sports socks. His mother told him to wear the socks she had brought from Karbala. It was as if we were meant to recognize him that way. Half his face was gone.”
He struggles to continue.
“It’s been about 50 days. I couldn’t talk like this before. Sobhan was afraid of balloon pops, of fireworks—but in that moment, he showed courage to the world. Someone said he had turned back to look for his sister when the second missile hit.”
Their mother, Marzieh Ashna, stands quietly—strong.
“At 11, the teacher called us. Minutes later, another call came. My husband went. Soon after, he called me crying. I ran to the street. When I arrived, the school was destroyed. Parents were searching, crying. Some fainted. Fathers were trying to revive mothers with water. I saw Hanan’s classroom—completely destroyed. I collapsed. I knew nothing would remain.”
“I wish I could hug my brother one more time”
Atena stands dazed. She points around the ruins, trying to reconstruct what once was.
She is a fifth grader. Her younger brother Arash, a second grader, died under the rubble.
She speaks with effort:
“When they dismissed us, I was with my brother. He said he wanted to go ahead. I told him to wait so we could go together. He left. That was the last time I saw him.”
She describes the second missile, her injured friend, the collapsing bookshelf, the blocked exit.
“I called my mom and told her I was going home, but Arash was still at school. Two days later, my father told us he had been killed.”
Arash was seven years and five months old. He wanted to become an inventor.
Their mother says:
“I thought that day they were going to a play center. Later we learned they had returned because it was closed. At 11:21 the first missile hit—while they were inside.”
She points to a remaining wall:
“My daughter came out. My son couldn’t. Whoever stayed inside, died.”
Arash’s father says:
“I recognized him by his sock. His right foot had a mark—two toes slightly fused. That’s how I found him in the morgue.”
He adds:
“Nearly 30 hours it took to clear the rubble. No intact bodies came out. Children were in pieces.”
“Now Arash lies beneath his teacher, who was pregnant when she was killed. I hope she mothers him.”
This report is only a fragment of the pain of four families among the 110 families who lost loved ones in the Minab school. In future reports, the stories of other families and Red Crescent rescuers will be told.