Iran has said that US-Israeli attacks “amount to genocide,” accusing both countries of carrying out systematic strikes on civilian infrastructure.
In a statement on Wednesday posted on X, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the attacks are part of a broader pattern of unlawful warfare against Iran.
“This is not an isolated act of cruelty - it is part of a systematic and brutal pattern of illegal warfare against Iran,” he said.
He added that more than 600 schools and educational centres have been deliberately targeted over the past 33 days, citing examples of the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab and the Lamerd Sports Hall.
“The term ‘war crime’ falls far short of adequately describing these atrocities,” Baqaei said.
“Given the explicit rhetoric of hostility toward Iranians (as a nation) expressed by US/Israeli officials, these crimes amount to genocide,” he added.
Civilian targets
At least 150 schoolgirls were killed in an air strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28.
The same day, a newly developed US missile struck civilian sites in southern Iran, targeting a sports hall and an adjacent elementary school near a military compound in the city of Lamerd, according to visual evidence examined by the New York Times and weapons experts.
Local officials cited in Iranian media reported that at least 21 people were killed in the strike.
An analysis of videos and photos from the scene suggests the weapon used was a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a short-range ballistic missile developed by the US Army.
The US and Israel have maintained an air offensive on Iran since February 28, killing so far over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
