The UN demands that the US investigation into the bombing of a school in Iran be “quick” and “transparent”. Le Monde: “Little children were killed”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Friday, March 6, for the US investigation into the alleged bombing of a school in Minab, Iran, to continue “rapid” and “transparent”while The New York Times mentions the possibility of American responsibility, according to France Presse.
The strike was not confirmed by either the US or Israel, Washington limiting itself to saying that the Pentagon is conducting an investigation, notes Agerpres, citing the French agency.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, expressed his hope in Geneva that this investigation “to take place quickly and in full transparency”.
“We also expect those responsible to be held accountable, as it is clear that mistakes were made” and that there will be “reparations and compensations”Turk added at a press conference on Friday.
Although the total death toll has not yet been independently confirmed, Iranian authorities and state media say the attack killed 150 people, including many children, at the Shajarah Tayyebeh school. For its part, UNICEF communicated on Friday a balance sheet of 169 students killed, most of them schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 12.
The hit building was located close to two sites controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite army of the Tehran regime, according to AFP.
Following a journalistic investigation, the New York Times reported that the tragedy could be the result of an American bombing that targeted a nearby Revolutionary Guard naval base.
Based on satellite images, social media posts and verified video footage, the US publication reported on Thursday that the school was badly damaged by an attack that occurred at the same time as attacks on the adjacent naval base.
Official statements that US forces attacked naval targets near the Strait of Hormuz, near which the building in question was located “suggests that they are most likely to have carried out the attack”, writes The New York Times.
Reuters: it is “probable” that American forces are “responsible” for the attack that hit the school
Reuters news agency, citing US officials on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that US military investigators believe it is “probable” that US forces are “responsible” for the attack that hit the school, adding that investigations have not yet been completed.
The New York Times investigation ruled out the hypothesis of an Iranian missile attack on the school.
If confirmed “that an American bomb hit (school) Shajarah Tayyebeh, the question will probably be whether the attack on the school was a mistake or whether it was targeted based on outdated information”the newspaper writes.
An investigation by the French newspaper Le Monde, published on Thursday, confirmed the presence of children and civilian victims in the bombing. “Little children were killed”writes Le Monde, which states that it is based on dozens of photos and video recordings.
“Since a school is obviously a civil institution, which should never be attacked“, said the UN High Commissioner on Friday, demonstrating “serious concerns” towards the observance of international humanitarian law, wondering about “the type of weapons used” in this alleged attack.
“We also expect responsibilities to be established, as mistakes have clearly been made and accountability is absolutely essential, but so are reparations and compensation, as well as clear guarantees that such situations will not happen again”also emphasized the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who said that “hope” to move to Washington “at the end of this month”.
