The Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, struck during the opening assaults of the war on Feb. 28, has been turned into a memorial to the children killed. Iranian officials report more than 100 students died, and an AP investigation found evidence that at least one U.S. missile hit the site. The U.S. government has not formally accepted responsibility or released Pentagon findings. Local leaders plan to convert the ruined two-story school into a war museum; three victims remain missing.
Minab School Turned Into Memorial After Deadly Opening-Strike Attack
A general view of the school that was hit by a strike on Feb. 28, is seen in town of Minab in southern Iran, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
MINAB, Iran — This building will never serve as a school again. Its bright blue gate still bears the cheerful symbols that once greeted pupils: a painted map of Iran, oversized pencils and portraits of notable figures in science and literature. Today the gate opens onto a pathway lined with photographs of children at play and on birthdays, followed by black mourning banners bearing those same small faces.
A woman walks at the graveyard of the school children who were killed after their school was a hit by a strike on Feb. 28, in town of Minab in southern Iran, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A Memorial Takes Shape
A general view of the school that was hit by a strike on Feb. 28, is seen in town of Minab in southern Iran, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab is being transformed into a memorial for students killed in strikes that hit during the opening moments of the war on Feb. 28. Iranian officials say more than 100 students died. The U.S. government has not formally accepted responsibility or released the Pentagon's findings; an Associated Press investigation, however, found evidence suggesting at least one U.S. missile struck the school.
A general view of the school that was hit by a strike on Feb. 28, is seen in town of Minab in southern Iran, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Scenes Frozen in Rubble
Women walk at the graveyard of the school children who were killed after their school was a hit by a strike on Feb. 28, in town of Minab in southern Iran, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The AP visited the badly damaged two-story building: classrooms frozen mid-lesson, desks half buried under debris and ceilings collapsed. Residents and local officials have urged that the ruins be preserved as a historical record. Hormozgan Governor Mohammad Ashouri Taziani announced plans to convert the damaged structure into a war museum and memorial.
"The ruins must remain as a record," Governor Mohammad Ashouri Taziani said, announcing plans to preserve the site as a museum and memorial.
Nearby, a section of Minab's cemetery has been set aside for the victims. Families and visitors move quietly across the artificial grass that marks the graves. Residents say three bodies are still missing.
Wider Context
Minab again drew attention after a fresh round of strikes along Iran's southern coast reportedly hit a wedding and other locations; some of the wounded were taken to the community hospital. The memorial stands as a stark reminder of the civilian toll and the unresolved questions about responsibility for the strikes.
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