Bombay Durpun - Tehran accuses US of 'calculated' assault on school

Abbas Araghchi said "more than 175 students and teachers were slaughtered in cold blood" in a "calculated, phased assault" in the February 28 strike on an Iranian elementary school in Minab.

At an urgent debate in the United Nations Human Rights Council focused on the strike, he described it in his video address as "a war crime and a crime against humanity, one that demands unequivocal condemnation by all, and unambiguous accountability for the culprits".

UN rights chief Volker Turk meanwhile told the council the bombing evoked "visceral horror", insisting on the need for "justice".

Mohaddeseh Falahat, the mother of two children killed in the attack, also spoke to the council by video.

Calling on the diplomats in Geneva "not to let this tragedy be forgotten", she added: "No mother is prepared to hear the words: 'Your child is not coming back'."

- 'Deliberate and intentional' -

The attack happened on the day the United States and Israel launched the war with attacks across Iran. In retaliation, Tehran struck targets in Israel and Gulf nations.

A US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the elementary school due to a targeting mistake, according to the preliminary findings of a US military investigation reported by The New York Times.

The newspaper said the US military had been bombing an adjacent Iranian base, of which the school building was formerly a part. The target coordinates were set using outdated data, the paper reported.

US President Donald Trump intially suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible -- despite Iran not having Tomahawk missiles.

UN rights chief Turk insisted that "the onus is on those who carried out the attack to investigate it promptly, impartially, transparently and thoroughly".

"Senior US officials have said the strike is under investigation," he said in a video address, calling for Washington to swiftly conclude the probe and make the findings public.

Araghchi did not wait for the results of the probe to attribute blame.

"At a time when the American-Israeli aggressors, in their own assertions, possess the most advanced technologies, and the highest-precision military and data systems, no one can believe that the attack on the school was anything other than deliberate and intentional," he told the council.

- 'Atrocity' -

"This atrocity cannot be justified, cannot be concealed, and must not be met with silence and indifference," the minister said.

"The United States' contradictory remarks aimed at justifying their crime could not, in any manner, elude their responsibility."

Friday's discussion, held at the request of Iran, China and Cuba, marked the second urgent debate before the rights council this week focused on the war in the Middle East.

On Wednesday, a debate requested by Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan, ended with the 47-member rights council adopting by consensus a resolution condemning Iran's "egregious attacks" on its Gulf neighbours, calling for swift "reparation" to all victims of its strikes.

No draft resolution was discussed during Friday's debate, but countries lined up to condemn the school strike and the Middle East war more broadly.

Chinese ambassador Jia Guide slammed the United States and Israel for launching their attacks on Iran "without authorisation of the Security Council, which is the root cause of this tragedy".

Cuban ambassador Rodolfo Benitez Verson called for "an independent and impartial investigation" into the school strike, which he labelled a "war crime".

The United States and Israel have both disengaged from the council, and did not speak during the debate.

Turk and several countries also raised the issue of Tehran's reported growing crackdown on rights at home since the start of the conflict.

"The people of Iran are caught between conflict and repression," the UN rights chief warned.

"War does not reduce the responsibility of the Iranian authorities to abide by their human rights obligations," he added.

R.Khurana--BD