Iran, UN: 'Massacre at girls' school in Minab could be war crime'

The bombing against the girls' primary school in Minab, southern Iran, which killed more than 160 people, could constitute a war crime. This was stated by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in a statement issued in Geneva.

According to Reuters, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the forces responsible for the attack, without naming them, to investigate and share their views on the 'horrific' incident. The UN agency's spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, said: 'The High Commissioner (Volker Turk) calls for a swift, impartial and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the attack. The burden of investigation falls on the forces that perpetrated the attack'.

"The law of war is unequivocal. Civilians and civilian property are protected. All states and all armed groups must respect it," Shamdasani added. "Attacks directed against civilians or civilian property, as well as indiscriminate attacks," he added, "constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law and may qualify as war crimes.

Unicef and Unesco also expressed alarm over the Minab school attack, NBC News reports. The UN agencies stressed the serious impact of the military escalation on the security of educational institutions, reiterating the need to protect schools, students and staff. They also called for an immediate ceasefire and full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US forces "would not deliberately target a school" after Iranian state media reported more than 160 casualties in the first day of US and Israeli attacks on Iran. US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said he was "aware of reports" of the attack on a girls' school and that officials were investigating. On the Israeli side, an army spokesman said Sunday that he was not aware of any Israeli or US attacks in the area.