Iran’s Minister of Education, Alireza Kazemi, has sent a report to UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany alleging that recent U.S. and Israeli attacks targeted educational infrastructure in Iran and killed students and educational staff.
In the letter, Kazemi strongly condemned what he termed “anti-human crimes committed by the United States of America and the Israeli regime,” alleging that schools, healthcare facilities, and other civilian facilities had been deliberately targeted in recent attacks. He said such actions constitute a violation of international law and fundamental human rights, particularly those protecting children and vulnerable populations.
“The intentional targeting of schools and students is an inhumane and calculated act designed to devastate the future generations of our country”, he added.
A total of 185 students and educational staff were killed and 113 injured in U.S.–Israeli attacks on educational sites in different parts of Iran, according to government reports as of March 3, 2026.
Quoting figures from the Ministry of Education, Kazemi said that as of March 3, 2026, the attacks had caused significant casualties in several provinces. The minister stated, “In Minab, 168 were martyred and 110 injured, in Fars Province one teacher and five students were martyred, in Ilam Province one teacher and two students were martyred, and in East Azerbaijan one teacher was injured and two students were martyred.”
Kazemi also reported casualties in the capital. “In Tehran, three students were martyred and two others injured,” he said, adding that in another incident in the city “one teacher and one student were martyred.”
The minister further stated that around 20 educational centers had sustained severe damage, with some schools completely destroyed. He said the attacks had disrupted the education of thousands of students and deprived them of their right to study in a safe environment.
Calling on UNESCO to take action, Kazemi urged the organization to firmly condemn the attacks, which he termed anti-human crimes. He further demanded that the United States and Israel immediately cease their attacks on educational infrastructure, schools and students in Iran, stressing the need to protect the country’s education sector and the safety of students.
Report sent to ISESCO
Meanwhile, Iran’s Minister of Education also sent a similar report to Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). Providing statistics as of March 3, 2026, the minister stated that in Minab 168 were martyred and 110 injured; in Fars Province one teacher and five students were martyred; in Ilam Province one teacher and two students were martyred; in East Azerbaijan one teacher was injured and two students were martyred; in Tehran three students were martyred and two students injured; in Qazvin one student was martyred; and in the suburbs of Tehran Province one teacher and one student were martyred.
Calling on the organization to act in line with its mission to support education and protect civilians, especially young students, the minister demanded condemnation of the US-Israeli attacks in the strongest terms and urged the parties he described as responsible to immediately cease all attacks against educational infrastructure, schools and students.
He urged Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to issue an official statement and take necessary measures to strongly condemn what he described as crimes against humanity that resulted in the deliberate martyrdom of a large number of innocent students and the destruction of Iran’s educational centers. Calling on the organisation to act in line with its mission to support education sectors of member states and protect innocent civilians, especially young students, he demanded condemnation of the attacks in the strongest possible terms and urged the belligerents mentioned in the report to immediately cease all attacks against educational infrastructure, schools and students, Alireza Kazemi said.
Notably, the United States and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026.
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