Although sources provide conflicting figures regarding the death toll in Iran resulting from the joint attacks launched by the United States and Israel since February 28, it is estimated that these assaults have likely claimed the lives of more than 6,000 Iranian citizens to date. Furthermore, statistics indicate that over 26,500 people have been injured. However, the attack currently generating the most discussion within Iran—overshadowing even the assassinations of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei, numerous high-ranking political leaders, officials, and scientists—is the strike carried out by the U.S. Air Force on February 28 against a primary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab; this attack resulted in the martyrdom of 168 innocent children who were attending classes at the time. Highlighting this specific incident above all others, Iran has launched a global campaign to expose the hypocrisy of the United States—a nation that professes to champion world peace. Moreover, this very attack compelled several American lawmakers and high-ranking officials—those possessing a sense of human empathy—to raise their voices in protest.
Recall April 10, 2026, when an Iranian delegation arrived in Islamabad—mediated by Pakistan—with the objective of holding talks with the United States. At that time, with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance leading the negotiations on the American side, the aircraft bearing the designation #Minab 168—aboard which the Iranian delegation had travelled to Islamabad—captured the attention of the entire world. Iranian Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Araghchi, and the rest of the Iranian delegation had travelled from Tehran to Pakistan specifically aboard this aircraft, #Minab 168. In the forward section of the plane, photographs of children who had been martyred in American attacks were placed upon the first 168 seats. On each seat lay a blood-stained, damaged schoolbag and a pair of the martyred child’s shoes, accompanied by flowers placed there to pay tribute to their memory. This marked the first instance in which a courageous nation like Iran had, in such a unique and striking manner, exposed the true, brutal face of the United States—a nation that claims the mantle of a global superpower. The #Minab 168 aircraft did not merely visit Pakistan; following his diplomatic tours of Islamabad and Oman, Foreign Minister Araghchi subsequently travelled aboard this very aircraft to Russia on April 26–27, where he held a significant meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
Even in the United States, the blood of the innocent martyrs of Minab appears to be crying out for justice. President Trump is facing opposition regarding this attack, both on the political stage and on the streets. The Democrats have unequivocally condemned the incident as an irresponsible American attack and are demanding that the Trump administration accept responsibility for it. This demand stems from the fact that investigations have confirmed the use of American Tomahawk missiles in the strike—a weapon possessed exclusively by the United States. American Democratic lawmakers have called upon the Pentagon to conduct an impartial investigation and have also demanded an explanation from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. These U.S. Senators have described the incident as the worst civilian casualty event in decades, while also accusing the Trump administration of failing to acknowledge its accountability. Several Senators have gone so far as to label it a “terrible mistake” on the part of the U.S. military. The Minab incident has also sparked street protests across various locations within the United States. From New York’s Times Square to San Francisco, Chicago, and Milwaukee, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in numerous cities, chanting slogans such as “Hands off Iran.” At Capitol Hill, a symbolic protest was staged involving the placement of children’s school bags. Several Democratic lawmakers also participated in this demonstration. The situation escalated to the point where, during widespread protests held outside the White House this past April, there were forceful demands for Trump’s removal, with protesters labelling him a “war criminal.”
Be that as it may, whether it is Israel or its patron, the United States—both nations have written some of the most brutal chapters in history regarding the commission of “war crimes” across numerous countries worldwide. In the truest sense, they have become habitual perpetrators of such war crimes. Recall the Vietnam War, which dragged on for a prolonged period during the mid-1960s and 70s. It was this very United States that ruthlessly slaughtered hundreds of thousands of people there. Among these atrocities was a heart-wrenching incident in the village of My Lai in South Vietnam, where not only were over 500 unarmed civilians—including women, children, and the elderly—murdered, but they were also subjected to mass rape; furthermore, their bodies were burned and desecrated. Entire villages were razed to the ground. Similarly, during the 2003 Iraq War, in addition to the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, numerous incidents of civilian massacres occurred throughout Iraq. Likewise, in Afghanistan, various heinous acts—such as the killing and rape of civilians—were brought to light. Following the pattern of the United States, Israel, too, has written its own history of mass atrocities against humanity in the regions of Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. They are so utterly ruthless that they first lure hungry children by dangling the promise of food and water to gather a crowd; then, instead of providing sustenance to these helpless souls, they rain bombs upon them, killing them in cold blood. The current Israeli Prime Minister, in fact, is a wanted criminal sought by the International Criminal Court.
However, this time they found themselves up against the innocent victims of Minab, Iran. The cries of anguish and curses of these victims are reverberating across the globe with such intensity that even Americans possessed of a human heart are left in shock by this incident; indeed, they fear that this event could well trigger the downfall of American global hegemony. It is precisely for this reason that the Trump administration appears to be making futile attempts to distance itself from the incident. Yet, the stark reality remains that—owing to the Minab school attack and the administration’s war policy regarding Iran—Trump’s popularity within the U.S. has plummeted to a negative rating of 20–23%. Amidst such widespread backlash, Trump has dismissed several of his officials, while many others deemed it prudent to resign in order to salvage their own reputations. It would not be an exaggeration to assert that the hash tag ‘#Minab 168’—a poignant symbol commemorating the martyrdom of these innocents—will ultimately unmask the superpower responsible for scripting this genocide, and will, in turn, precipitate its very collapse.
By Author
Tanveer Jafri
Contact: 9896219228
(About the Author)
Author Tanveer Jafri is a columnist based in India.He is related with hundreds of most popular daily news papers/magazines and news portals in India and abroad. Jafri, Almost writes in the field of communal harmony, world peace, anti communalism, anti terrorism, national integration, national & international politics etc.He is a devoted social activist for world peace, unity, integrity & global brotherhood. Thousands of articles of the author have been published in different newspapers, websites & newsportals throughout the world. He is also a recipient of so many awards in the field of Communal Harmony & other social activities. (Email : tjafri1@gmail.com )
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