Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - United Nations High Commissioner for Human\nRights Volker T\u00fcrk has urged a rapid investigation into the deadly\nattack on a primary school in southern Iran. The call follows a media\ninvestigation suggesting the attack was most likely carried out by the\nUnited States military.<\/p>\n
The attack occurred on the first day of the war, last Saturday, when\na primary school in the town of Minab was reported to have been struck\nby an air strike. Iranian officials said at least 150 people were killed\nin the incident.<\/p>\n
T\u00fcrk strongly condemned the incident and described it as a major\ntragedy. He stressed that the investigation must be conducted quickly\nand openly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a truly tragic incident. I hope the investigation will be\ncarried out swiftly and in full transparency,\u201d T\u00fcrk told reporters in\nGeneva, Switzerland, according to AFP.<\/p>\n
He also stressed the importance of accountability for the incident.\n\u201cWe also hope for accountability, because clearly mistakes have\noccurred,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
So far, neither Israel nor the United States has formally admitted\nresponsibility for the attack. The location of the school was not far\nfrom facilities controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.<\/p>\n
The US Department of Defence said it was conducting an investigation\ninto the incident.<\/p>\n
An investigative report published by The New York Times on Thursday\nsaid that US military statements regarding operations targeting a naval\ntarget around the Strait of Hormuz indicated that American forces were\nlikely behind the attack.<\/p>\n
An analysis of social media posts at the time of the incident, as\nwell as photos and videos from witnesses, showed that Shajare Tayyebeh\nSchool was hit at the same time as the IRGC naval base target in the\narea.<\/p>\n
Two unnamed US officials told Reuters that investigators believe that\nUS forces were \u201chighly likely\u201d responsible for the attack.<\/p>\n
AFP said it had not yet been able to access the site to independently\nverify casualties or the chronology of events.<\/p>\n
The United States\u2019 top military officer, General Dan Caine,\npreviously stated that the United States was indeed conducting\noperations in southern Iran at the same time.<\/p>\n
According to The New York Times, Caine even showed a map outlining\nthe area including Minab as part of the target area within the first 100\nhours of the military operation.<\/p>\n
Minab lies about 25 kilometres from the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic\nglobal shipping route.<\/p>\n
Caine also noted that Israeli military operations were more\nconcentrated in northern Iran.<\/p>\n
T\u00fcrk welcomed the US government\u2019s statement that it would conduct an\ninvestigation. He, however, stressed that the process must be very fast.\n\u201cWe need this to be done very quickly, and we must also ensure\naccountability and restitution for the victims,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also highlighted serious concerns about compliance with\ninternational humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict. \u201cThere are\nsignificant concerns about respect for international humanitarian law,\nparticularly regarding how military operations are conducted, including\nprecautions, the principle of distinction, and proportionality,\u201d T\u00fcrk\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He stated that schools are civilian institutions and should never be\ntargeted.<\/p>\n
Additionally, he said there are questions about the type of weapons\nused and the timing of the attack.<\/p>\n
Norwegian-based human rights monitor Hengaw Organization for Human\nRights reported that the school was in a morning session at the time of\nthe strike, with around 170 students at the site.<\/p>\n
T\u00fcrk said the tragedy holds a bitter lesson for the international\ncommunity. \u201cThere is a very disturbing and tragic lesson when girls are\nkilled in this way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He hoped the incident would not only be followed by assurances that\nsuch events do not recur, but also a thorough review of the standard\noperating procedures governing military operations in such\nsituations.<\/p>\n
T\u00fcrk stressed that the responsibility for the investigation now lies\nwith the party that carried out the attack. \u201cThe burden of\nresponsibility now truly lies with the party that conducted this attack\nto carry out such an investigation,\u201d he said. \u201cWe hope accountability is\ntruly upheld.\u201d<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/un-moves-as-us-attack-on-iranian-primary-school-likely-to-be-addressed-1772881292", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }