Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has slammed a claim by US Central Command (Centcom) chief Admiral Brad Cooper that the Minab girls’ school — reportedly struck by the US on the first day of the war — was situated on a cruise missile base.

“The claim by US Central Command (CENTCOM) that the targeted Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab was located within a ‘missile launch facility’ is a baseless fabrication and an appalling lie,” he writes in a post on X.

Baghaei adds that the claim attempts to “obscure the severe reality” of the February 28 missile attacks, which killed over 170 school children and their teachers.

“Targetting an active educational institution during school hours constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and is a clear war crime,” he stresses.

“The civilian nature of the site cannot be obscured by technical misrepresentations. The military commanders and United States authorities responsible for ordering and executing this catastrophic assault must be held fully accountable under international law.”