Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

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70 Iranian school girls were killed, 90 were injured by an Israeli air strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, in Minab city

on February 28, 2026

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70 Iranian school girls were killed, 90 were injured by an Israeli air strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, in Minab city, on February 28, 2026

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US-Israeli strikes on Iran

RTV, 28 Feb, 09:47

Iran's supreme leader, president alive amid US, Israeli strikes — top diplomat

Abbas Araghchi shared this information with NBC News Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei © Majid Saeedi/ Getty Images

NEW YORK, February 28. /TASS/. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive following the US and Israeli strikes, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated.

"As far as I know, all high-ranking officials are alive," he told NBC News.

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70 martyrs, 90 wounded in US-Israeli strike on elementary school

By Al-Mayadeen, February 28, 2026

At least five schoolgirls were killed in Israeli strikes on Iran’s Minab district in Hormozgan province, according to an IRNA report citing local authorities.

The death toll following a US-Israeli strike on a girls' elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, rose to 70 martyrs and 90 wounded, per the Iranian news agency Fars.

Iran's ISNA news agency reported that dozens of students remain trapped under the rubble, while a number have been rescued. A hospital in the same area also suffered partial damage, according to ISNA.

Iran's Mehr news agency further reported that two students were martyred in the Narmak area of Tehran.

 Iran Invokes Article 51 of the UN Charter

In the official statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iran invoked Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, affirming its legitimate right to self-defense following the Israeli strikes on Iran.

The Ministry characterized the airstrikes as a violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

According to the statement, “The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond forcefully to any attack.” The ministry reiterated that Iran would use all its capabilities to deter aggression and confront its enemies.

Call on the UN Security Council

Iran also called on the United Nations and the UN Security Council to take immediate action in response to the blatant violation of international peace and security.

The statement urged the UN Secretary-General, as well as the President and members of the Security Council, to fulfill their responsibilities without delay.

It also appealed to all UN member states, particularly countries in the region, members of the Islamic world, and states belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement, to condemn the act of aggression and to adopt urgent and collective measures to halt it.

The ministry warned that the escalation represents an unprecedented threat to regional and global peace and security.

70 martyrs, 90 wounded in US-Israeli strike on elementary school | Al Mayadeen English

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US and Israeli attack on Iran: At least 51 girls reported killed in strike on school

By MEE correspondent in Tehran

28 February 2026

Dozens of children aged between seven and 12 hit in attack on Minab city Video posted on pro-government Telegram accounts show Iranians searching through the destroyed school in Minab (Telegram)

At least 51 girls have been killed in an air strike on an elementary school in southern Iran, local authorities said, as the United States and Israel ramps up attacks on the country.

The attack on Saturday morning hit Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab city in the southern Hormozgan province. The victims were between seven and 12 years old, according to Iran's Tasnim and Fars news agencies.

The air strike on the school caused many of those inside the building to become trapped under the rubble, according to sources on the ground.

There were 170 female students at the school at the time of the attack. So far, at least 45 people have also been reported wounded.

Footage posted by Telegram accounts affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp appeared to show locals digging through the rubble of the school.

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Smoke is seen rising from surrounding buildings and a wrecked car lies on the street. People are seen screaming and wailing, while others appear in shock.

US and Israeli strikes on Iran have also heavily targeted Tehran. Explosions echoed across the capital as Iranians set out for work on the first day of the week, but quickly spread across the country.

Attacks have been reported in a range of cities, including the holy city of Qom, Karaj, Isfahan and Kermanshah.

Iranian media has not yet given an overall death toll, but Reuters reported that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been moved to a "safe place".

US President Donald Trump said the joint attacks were aimed at "eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime".

"Short time ago, US military began major combat operation in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime," he said.

Trump also made a number of other claims and predictions without offering any concrete evidence, such as Washington's refusal to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

"We are going to annihilate their navy. We are going to ensure that the region’s ‘terrorist’ proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world".

"We will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It is a very simple message," he said.

US and Israeli attack on Iran: At least 51 girls reported killed in strike on school | Middle East Eye

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US and Israel launch a major attack on Iran and Trump urges Iranians to ‘take over your government’

By Associated Press

February 27, 2026

By JON GAMBRELL, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, JOSH BOAK and AAMER MADHANI

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —

The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, with President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” and rise up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.

Some of the first strikes appeared to hit areas around the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iranian media reported strikes nationwide. Smoke could be seen rising from the capital. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was in his offices at the time of the strike.

“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” Trump said in a video announcing “major combat operations” were underway. “For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it.”

Trump warns Iranian forces as US launches military operation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that sweeping goal. “Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,” Netanyahu said.

The strikes opened a stunning new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran and marked the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has used military force against the Islamic Republic. They also came just weeks after Trump ordered a military operation to capture Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and bring him and his wife to New York to face federal drug conspiracy charges.

The operation also comes as tensions have soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region, and Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program at a moment when the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests.

Iran responded as it had been threatening to do for months — first launching a wave of missiles and drones targeting Israel. It followed with strikes targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The United Arab Emirates and Iraq shut down their airspace.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a defiant statement, saying that the country “will not hesitate” in its response. In a statement posted on X, the ministry said: “The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault.”

Forty people were reported killed at a girls’ school in southern Iran in the Israeli-U.S. strikes, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. At least 45 others were wounded in the attack in Minab in Iran’s Hormozgan province.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on reported strike on the school.

Four people were also killed by an Iranian missile striking a building in Syria’s southern city of Sweida, according to Syrian state television.

Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the capital of the UAE killed one person, state media said.

Attack was coordinated between Israel and US

The attacks came after weeks of the U.S. military massing forces in the region even as U.S. and Iranian envoys held talks in Switzerland and Oman aimed at finding a diplomatic solution to head off American military operation.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, a key mediator in the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, said in a post on X that he was dismayed that U.S. and Israel moved forward with the operation.

“Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined,” said al-Busaidi, who traveled to Washington on Friday to meet with Vice President JD Vance for talks. “Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this. And I pray for the innocents who will suffer. I urge the United States not to get sucked in further.”

Israel said the operation was carried out as a “broad, coordinated, and joint operation against the regime” that has been planned for months between the Israeli and U.S. militaries.

Trump, in justifying the military action, claimed that Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S.

He also acknowledged that there could be American casualties, saying “that often happens in war.”

It was a notable call on Americans to brace themselves from a U.S. leader who swept into office on an “America First” platform and vowed to keep out of “forever wars” that had bogged down his recent predecessors.

Trump’s statement indicated the U.S. was striking for reasons far beyond the nuclear program, listing grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East into a fierce foe.

The U.S. president said he was aiming to “annihilate” the Iranian navy and destroy regional proxies supported by Tehran.

He also called on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to lay down its arms, pledging that members would be given immunity, while warning they would face “certain death” if they didn’t.

“They’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore,” Trump said.

Trump had threatened military action — but held off — following Iran’s recent crackdown on protests spurred by economic grievances and evolved into a nationwide, anti-government push against the ruling clerics.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency says it confirmed more than 7,000 deaths in the crackdown and that it is investigating thousands more. The government has acknowledged more than 3,000 killed, though it has undercounted or not reported fatalities from past unrest.

Iran has said it hasn’t enriched since June, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed during a 12-day war then. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press have shown new activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.

Iran currently has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile program, limiting their range to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). That puts all the Mideast and some of Eastern Europe in their range. There is no public evidence of Iran seeking to have intercontinental ballistic missiles, though Washington has criticized its space program as potentially allowing it to one day.

Iran had hoped to avert a war, but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, like its long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

The strikes could also have a huge impact on global markets, particularly if Iran is able to make the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. More than 14 million barrels per day of oil passed through the strait in 2025, about a third of total worldwide oil exports transported by sea.

Strikes hit targets across Iran

Iranian media reported strikes nationwide. Roads to Khamenei’s compound in downtown Tehran had been shut down by authorities as other blasts rang out across the capital.

Khamenei has not made a public appearance in recent days and wasn’t immediately seen after. During the 12-day war in June, he was believed to have been taken to a secure location away from his Tehran compound.

In Tehran, witnesses heard the first blast by Khamenei’s office. Iranian state television later reported on the explosion, without offering a cause.

More explosions struck Iran’s capital after Israel said it was attacking the country. Authorities have offered no casualty information from the strikes.

Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran’s military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information on the attack.

Iran retaliates

Hours after the strikes, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel, where a nationwide warning was issued as the military said it was working to intercept incoming Iranian missiles. There was no immediate word on any damage or casualties from the ongoing attack.

Meanwhile, Bahrain said that a missile attack targeted the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to U.S. Army Central. Explosions could be also be heard in Qatar.

Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace, and sirens sounded in Jordan.

Iraqi officials also reported a drone strike hit a headquarters of the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq, killing two people and wounding three Saturday. The group had earlier threatened to enter the fray should Iran come under attack. An Israeli military official said Israel was not aware of any Israeli strikes on Kataib Hezbollah headquarters in Iraq.

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, meanwhile, vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement from the Houthi leadership.

U.S. embassies or consulates in Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Israel posted on social media that they told staffers to shelter in place and recommended all Americans “do the same until further notice.”

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Toropin and Madhani reported from Washington and Boak from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.

US and Israel launch a major attack on Iran and Trump urges Iranians to ‘take over your government’ – Boulder Daily Camera

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