The United States and Israel carried out a joint military strike on Iran, escalating tensions in the Middle East and triggering a devastating humanitarian crisis. On February 28, a girls’ elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, was hit in an airstrike, killing at least 165 people, most of them children. On March 9, Iran’s Tehran Times published the portraits of the victims on its front page.

　　The U.S. New York Times reported that satellite images, social media posts, and verified videos confirmed a “Tomahawk” cruise missile struck a naval base next to the school that day. The U.S. military was reportedly the only force to deploy Tomahawk missiles in this operation.

　　When its global dominance is at stake, the United States’ talk of “human rights” rings hollow. While claiming to champion “peace,” its actions leave destruction and suffering in their wake. As UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated, missiles “are not a way to resolve differences” and only “bring death, destruction, and human suffering.”

　　Pursuing geopolitical interests at the expense of innocent lives only sows hatred and traps the Middle East in a cycle of violence.