WASHINGTON: As the US-Israeli war against Iran intensified — with reports of strikes hitting civilian sites, including a school in Iran — Pakistan told the UN Security Council on Monday that no technological solution can protect children if conflicts continue to escalate.

The session was chaired by US First Lady Melania Trump, marking the first time a First Lady has formally presided over the 15-member Council, according to UN officials. The United States assumed the Council’s rotating presidency for March.

In her opening remarks, Mrs. Trump highlighted the plight of children caught in conflict as fighting raged in the Middle East. “To the families who have lost their heroes who sacrifice their lives for freedom, their bravery and dedication will always be remembered,” she said, honoring US service members killed in the war on Iran.

“Enduring peace will be achieved when knowledge and understanding are fully valued within all our societies,” she added. “Societies ruled by knowledge and wisdom are therefore more peaceful.”

Ahead of the meeting, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, sharply criticized Washington, calling it “deeply shameful and hypocritical” for the United States to convene a high-level meeting on protecting children on the first day of its Council presidency while military operations were ongoing.

Moments later, without directly referencing the regional strikes, the First Lady said: “The US stands with all of the children throughout the world. I hope soon peace will be yours.”

Ambassadors — including representatives of US rivals Russia and China — lined up to greet the First Lady before the session began. Greece’s envoy thanked her as “Madam President,” while France’s representative drew a comparison to former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for her advocacy role.

Briefing the Council, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo warned that the world is facing the highest number of armed conflicts since the Second World War and the highest civilian casualty levels in decades.

She reminded the international community that 234 million children in conflict situations were in need of educational support, and 85 million were completely out of school.

“When conflicts erupt, children are among those most severely affected,” she said, noting that schools in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have been closed and shifted to remote learning due to ongoing military operations.

She also referred to reports from Iran indicating that “possibly dozens of children” were killed when a strike allegedly hit an elementary school in Minab.

Iranian state media reported that at least 175 people were killed in a strike on a girls’ school, with videos verified by The New York Times showing that at least half the building was destroyed. It remains unclear which country’s forces were responsible.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya urged all nations to avoid attacking children even in a war zone.

Stressing that children without education become “easy prey” for extremists and terrorists, he urged that “every effort” be made to ensure that education remains guaranteed during armed conflict.

Against this backdrop, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, warned that the destruction of schools is often systematic and that prolonged disruption of education creates generational instability.

“Education is not merely a service; it is a stabilizing and securing force,” he said, stressing that while digital tools can help bridge gaps during crises, “technology is not a substitute for peace.”

Published in Dawn, March 4, 2026