Iran Revises Death Toll After School Attack: Latest Updates

Iran has revised the death toll from a February 28 airstrike on a school in the southern city of Minab, providing an updated and detailed breakdown of casualties through state media. The attack, which targeted the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school, has been described by Iranian officials as “deliberate and intentional,” drawing widespread condemnation and intensifying tensions amid an ongoing conflict involving the U.S. And Israel.

Revised Casualty Figures

The Iranian government initially reported over 100 children killed in the strike, a figure that shocked the international community. On April 28, 2026, state media released an updated toll, confirming 155 deaths. The revised count includes a breakdown of victims, though specific details about ages, identities, or the number of injured remain limited. The school, located adjacent to a Revolutionary Guards barracks, was among several sites hit during a wave of airstrikes described by U.S. Officials as part of “major combat operations” against Iran.

Hossein Kermanpour, spokesperson for Iran’s health ministry, called the bombing “the most bitter news” of the conflict in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on the day of the attack. “God knows how many more children’s bodies they will pull from under the rubble,” he wrote. The Iranian government has accused the U.S. And Israel of carrying out the strike, a claim both countries have not directly addressed in public statements regarding this specific incident.

Ongoing Search for Missing Child

As of April 2026, one child, Makan Nasiri, remained unaccounted for in the aftermath of the Minab school strike. Iranian state media and international outlets, including Al Jazeera, have reported on efforts to locate the missing boy, though no updates on his status have been confirmed. The persistence of the search underscores the devastation wrought by the attack, which left the school in ruins and families grappling with loss.

Broader Conflict and Diplomatic Efforts

The Minab school strike occurred amid a broader escalation in hostilities between Iran, the U.S., and Israel, which began in late February 2026. The conflict has resulted in thousands of casualties, with Iranian medical officials estimating over 3,000 deaths since the start of the war. The U.S. And Israel have framed their military actions as necessary to counter Iranian influence and nuclear ambitions, while Iran has accused its adversaries of targeting civilian infrastructure and violating international law.

Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis have seen limited progress. On April 28, 2026, the White House confirmed that senior U.S. Officials were reviewing a proposal from Iran aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil shipments. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that President Donald Trump had met with his national security team to discuss the proposal, though she did not provide details on its contents or the likelihood of acceptance.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has been engaged in a series of diplomatic meetings to rally support for Tehran’s position. During a visit to Russia, Araghchi met with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict, following earlier talks in Pakistan and Oman. In Pakistan, Araghchi presented a list of “red lines” to U.S. Mediators, including demands related to Iran’s nuclear program and control over the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistani officials have been attempting to revive mediation efforts, though the gap between the two sides remains significant.

In the U.S., domestic political divisions over the conflict have sharpened. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on April 28 that Democrats would force a sixth vote on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting President Trump’s authority to conduct military operations in Iran. Schumer and other Democrats argue that the Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the power to declare war and that any sustained military engagement requires explicit legislative approval. The resolution reflects growing unease among lawmakers about the scope and duration of U.S. Involvement in the conflict.

International Reactions and Accusations

The Minab school strike has drawn widespread condemnation from international organizations and governments. The Iranian government has framed the attack as part of a broader campaign of aggression by the U.S. And Israel, pointing to other strikes on civilian infrastructure, including universities and hospitals. State media released images of the destruction at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, which was targeted in early April 2026, as evidence of what it described as a systematic effort to cripple Iran’s educational and medical systems.

Kuwait has accused Iran of violating a temporary ceasefire by carrying out drone strikes in the Gulf region, though Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has denied responsibility for the attacks. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel had authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon, following a heavy bombardment of Beirut that killed over 300 people. The announcement came as part of Israel’s broader strategy to address multiple fronts in the conflict, though the status of those negotiations remains unclear.

Key issues in the ongoing diplomatic discussions include the location of Iran’s enriched-uranium stockpile, the timeline for restoring normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s future missile capabilities. U.S. Vice President JD Vance is set to lead an American delegation in talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad on April 28, 2026, accompanied by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to President Trump. The talks are expected to focus on finalizing a ceasefire agreement reached earlier in the month, though skepticism remains about its durability.

Humanitarian Impact

The conflict has taken a severe humanitarian toll, with civilian casualties mounting across Iran. The Minab school strike, in particular, has become a symbol of the war’s devastating impact on children and families. Videos and images circulating on social media show the immediate aftermath of the attack, with smoke rising from the school’s ruins and debris scattered across the surrounding area. Persian fact-checking service Factnameh verified the authenticity of the footage, confirming it was taken at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school.

Iran’s health ministry has reported that the bombing of the school was one of the deadliest single incidents since the conflict began. The attack has also raised questions about the targeting of civilian infrastructure, with Iranian officials alleging that the school was deliberately struck. The U.S. And Israel have not publicly commented on the specific allegations, though both countries have previously stated that their military operations are aimed at degrading Iran’s military capabilities and nuclear program.

As diplomatic efforts continue, the humanitarian crisis in Iran shows no signs of abating. The revised death toll from the Minab school strike serves as a grim reminder of the conflict’s human cost, even as negotiations over a potential ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remain deadlocked. The coming days will be critical in determining whether the latest diplomatic push can break the impasse or if the war will escalate further.