At least 186 students, teachers allegedly killed in Iran as organizations call for investigation
A total of 186 students and teachers have been killed in Iran and 114 have been injured since U.S.-Israeli attacks began over the weekend, the Iranian education ministry said in a statement.
About 20 education centers have been either damaged or fully destroyed, according to the ministry.
Of those killed, 168 were from the Shajare Tayyiba Elementary School, an all-girls elementary school in Minab -- located in southern Iran -- which was hit by airstrikes, according to Iranian officials.
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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Saturday, with joint U.S.-Israel strikes targeting military and government sites, officials said.
Iran has blamed the U.S. and Israel for the strike on the school, but an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson told ABC News' Ian Pannell that "so far we have found no connection to any IDF activity."
During a press briefing at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an investigation is underway.
"Our objectives are missiles, both the ability to manufacture them and the ability to launch them, and the one-way attack drones," Rubio said during the press briefing. "That would be our focus, and that's what we would be focused on. We would have no interest, and frankly no incentive, to target civilian infrastructure."
"All I know, all I can say, is that we're investigating, that we, of course, never target civilian targets, but we're taking a look at [that]," Hegseth said.
On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. forces "would not deliberately target a school."
Rubio alleged that Iranian forces have been targeting civilian infrastructure including airports, hotels and embassies.
Iranian state TV showed videos on Tuesday from funerals of the victims of the in Minab school strike, with mourners carrying photographs of the children and people waving flags as they walked alongside vehicles transporting coffins.
Humanitarian and aid organizations are now calling for an investigation into the deadly school strike.
In a statement, the International Federation for Human Rights, one of the oldest worldwide human rights organizations, accused the U.S. and Israel of violating international law relative to self-defense and international humanitarian law, mentioning attacks on schools and hospitals.
"All alleged violations -- including indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, deliberate targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructure, and attacks on medical facilities and schools -- must be promptly, independently, and transparently investigated," the statement read. "Where evidence of war crimes or other serious violations is found, those responsible, regardless of rank or official capacity, must be held accountable in accordance with international law."
Similarly, the United Nations said on Tuesday that the school strike could be a war crime. Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the "devastating" airstrike may amount to war crimes if it is found to have targeted civilians or been carried out indiscriminately in violation of international law, and called for an investigation.
