At least 40 students were killed and 45 others injured after a coordinated strike by the United States and Israel hit a girls’ school in Iran’s Minab city in Hormozgan province, according to Iranian authorities. The attack occurred as part of ongoing military operations targeting the country, significantly escalating tensions across West Asia. Minab is also known to host a base belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding to the strategic sensitivity of the location.
Visuals from the aftermath showed extensive destruction, with large amounts of debris scattered across the area and scenes of panic and chaos following the strike. The incident came amid a broader wave of coordinated attacks carried out under the US operation “Epic Fury” and Israel’s “Operation Roaring Lion,” which reportedly targeted key government and military installations, including sites linked to Iran’s leadership. Multiple missile strikes were reported across Tehran and other cities, with plumes of smoke visible over several urban centres.
The escalation followed stalled nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which had been expected to continue in Vienna before the conflict intensified. Iranian officials said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was moved to a secure location after the strikes, while authorities assessed the extent of damage and casualties across affected regions.
In response, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks against US military bases across the Gulf region, including installations in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Jordan reported intercepting some incoming projectiles, while several Middle Eastern countries moved to close their airspace amid fears of further escalation. Airlines around the world suspended or diverted flights as the conflict disrupted regional aviation routes.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, stating that continued defiance would bring severe consequences, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the strikes as necessary to eliminate what he called an existential threat posed by Iran. The exchange of attacks has pushed the region into one of its most volatile periods in recent years, raising fears of a wider and prolonged conflict.
