Iranian school bombed becomes memorial in Minab

The Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab in southern Iran, hit by a bombing on February 28, has been turned into a memorial for the children killed in the attack. The severely damaged two-story building now houses an exhibition of photographs and personal belongings of the victims, while the classrooms remain paralyzed in time, with wallets partially buried and ceilings collapsed.

The attack occurred in the early stages of the war initiated by the Estados Unidos and Israel against Iran. Iranian officials said more than 100 students were killed. Months later, the Trump administration has not yet directly taken responsibility for the attack or released the Pentagon’s findings, even after an Associated Press investigation found evidence that at least one American missile hit the school.

The Blue Gate still holds child symbols

The bright blue school gate still displays the symbols that once welcomed children: the map of Iran, giant pencils and portraits of legends of science and literature. But now, the walkway beyond it guides visitors through rows of photographs. They show children living their lives normally, at birthday parties and other occasions. Then the same faces appear in black mourning strips.

The contrast between the joy of the images and the sadness of the mourning tracks sums up the pain of a community that lost its children in a single attack. The transformation of the site into a memorial seeks to preserve the memory of the victims and record what happened for future generations.

Ruins will be museum and war memorial

There were calls for the ruins to be preserved as a historical record. The governor of Hormozgan, Mohammad Ashouri Taziani, said the building would be transformed into a museum and war memorial. The decision reflects the importance of documenting the attack and its consequences, in a context of ongoing conflict.

In the vicinity, a section of the Minab cemetery was dedicated to the dead. Families and other people walk silently through artificial grass marked with tombs. Residents said three bodies have not yet been found, which keeps the wound open for some families.

Recent attacks rekindle pain in Minab

The focus turned to Minab last week as a new round of U.S. attacks along Iran’s southern coast hit a wedding and other areas, sending some of the wounded to a hospital in the community. The episode reignited the trauma of the population, which still deals with the consequences of the bombing of the school.

The Associated Press visited the severely damaged two-story building, whose classrooms remain paralyzed in the middle of the classrooms, with wallets partially buried and ceilings collapsed. The report recorded the state of destruction and the effort of the community to turn the tragedy into a place of memory and reflection.

The memorial in Minab adds to other efforts to preserve memory in conflict zones, where the destruction of schools and the death of civilians have become marks of war. The local community, by turning the ruins into a museum, seeks to ensure that the victims are not forgotten and that the world knows what happened on February 28.

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