Senior UN officials have warned of a “serious” threat to children amid rapidly escalating military operations in the Islamic Republic of Iran and across the wider region, expressing deep alarm at attacks affecting civilians and vital infrastructure.
This comes after Iranian officials disclosed that an attack on a primary school in Minab killed at least 165 schoolgirls and staff, while nine hospitals in the country have been reported as seriously damaged.
In a joint statement, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid, voiced urgent concern over the deteriorating situation and its consequences for young people.
“We are deeply alarmed by attacks on civilians, including civilian infrastructures, schools, and hospitals. Schools and hospitals must not be attacked.”
Special representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, Vanessa Frazier, and the special representative of the secretary-general on violence against children, Najat Maalla M’jid, said in a joint statement.
Their remarks come as military operations intensify in Iran and beyond, with reports of strikes impacting urban areas and critical public facilities.
While the officials did not assign responsibility for specific incidents, their statement underscored the vulnerability of children caught in the crossfire of expanding hostilities.
The officials called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, stressing that “maximum restraint is imperative, and full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law must be ensured at all times by all parties.”
The warning highlights longstanding international protections afforded to children and civilian infrastructure under international humanitarian law.
Schools and hospitals are explicitly protected sites, and attacks on such facilities can constitute grave violations when carried out deliberately or indiscriminately.
The two UN representatives stressed that these protections must be upheld at all times, particularly in situations of active conflict.
The escalating violence has heightened fears that children will bear a disproportionate burden of the crisis. In conflict zones, children are at risk not only from direct physical harm but also from displacement, psychological trauma, interruption of education, and limited access to healthcare. Damage to schools and hospitals compounds these risks, undermining essential services that support children’s development and well-being.
Iran Holds Mass Funeral For School Girls, In Staff Killed In US-Israel School Attack
Iran held a mass funeral ceremony for 165 schoolgirls and staff killed on Saturday in what Iran has described as a United States-Israeli attack on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab.
The attack took place on Saturday after the US and Israel announced joint strikes on Iran, marking the deadliest incident in the war against Tehran so far, targeting civilians.
Iranian state television showed thousands of people filling a public square in Minab.
Men waved the Islamic Republic flag while largely standing apart from women draped in black chadors.
The crowd erupted into chants of “Death to America,”“Death to Israel” and “No surrender.”
In an X post yesterday, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi accused the US and Israel of killing the schoolgirls.
“These are graves being dug for more than 160 innocent young girls who were killed in the US-Israeli bombing of a primary school. Their bodies were torn to shreds.
“This is how ‘rescue’ promised by Mr Trump looks in reality. From Gaza to Minab, innocents murdered in cold blood.”
Abbas Araghchi
Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also said yesterday that the two countries “continue to indiscriminately strike residential areas, sparing neither hospitals, schools, Red Crescent facilities, nor cultural monuments.”
The incident has been condemned by the United Nations culture and education agency UNESCO and Nobel Peace Prize-winning education activist Malala Yousafzai.
Authorities in Tehran have called for international action and solidarity after several hospitals and schools were impacted by United States and Israeli air strikes on the country as Iran continues to fire missiles and drones across the region.
Deliberately attacking an educational institution, hospital, or any other civilian structure is a war crime under international humanitarian law.
However, the Israeli military has claimed it was not aware of any Israeli or US attacks in that area.
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