UNICEF warns of rising child deaths in Iran war

UNICEF called on all parties in the Iran conflict to protect civilians, warning that children were increasingly bearing the toll of the fighting with reports of rising casualties.

UNICEF called on all parties in the Iran conflict to protect civilians, warning that children were increasingly bearing the toll of the fighting with reports of rising casualties.
“UNICEF is deeply concerned about the deadly impact the ongoing military escalation in Iran is having on children,” the agency said in a statement. “Approximately 180 children have reportedly been killed and many more injured.”
The organization said 168 girls were killed when a strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, in southern Iran, on Feb. 28 while classes were in session.
Reports indicated that most of those killed were between 7 and 12 years old.
UNICEF also said 12 other children were killed in separate incidents at schools across five locations in Iran and warned that at least 20 schools and 10 hospitals had reportedly been damaged.
Reuters reported Thursday evening that US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for the strike.
The report cited two officials who said the investigation was not completed and "new evidence could emerge that absolves the U.S. of responsibility and points to another responsible party in the incident."
The New York Times also said on Thursday that it had verified video footage and satellite imagery showing the Minab school was struck during US-led attacks near an Iranian naval facility, making it one of the deadliest incidents of the campaign.
It said the building had long functioned as a clearly defined civilian school despite its proximity to a former military complex.
US officials have said the War Department is investigating reports of civilian casualties but have neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the Minab strike.
Strikes began last week as US and Israeli forces targeted sites across Iran, with Tehran retaliating with missile and drone attacks across the region.
“These child casualties are a stark reminder of the brutality of war and violence on children, which impacts families and communities for generations,” UNICEF said, adding that schools and children are protected under international humanitarian law and must remain places of safety.






President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran was seeking negotiations but warned it was “too late” as US-led strikes intensified in a widening conflict now entering its sixth day.
“They’re calling. They’re saying, how do we make a deal?” Trump said in remarks to reporters. “I said, you’re being a little bit late, and we want to fight now more than they do.”
The comments came after nearly a week of escalating exchanges in which US and Israeli forces struck targets across Iran while Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region, raising fears of a broader Middle East war.
Trump framed the campaign as a decisive military effort, boasting of American power and claiming Iran had suffered sweeping losses.
“Their navy is gone,” he said. “Their anti-aircraft weapons are gone. So they have no Air Force. They have no air defense.”
Earlier Wednesday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran was not seeking a ceasefire and saw no reason to negotiate.
“We are not asking for ceasefire. We don’t see any reason why we should negotiate when we negotiated with them twice and every time they attacked us in the middle of negotiations,” Araghchi told NBC News.
He also challenged Washington to attempt a ground invasion, saying Iran was prepared to confront US forces.
Araghchi later wrote on social media that Washington had squandered a diplomatic opening.
“Plan A for a clean rapid military victory failed, Mr. President. Your Plan B will be even bigger failure,” he said, adding that a “unique deal” had been lost after what he called the intervention of an “‘America Last’ cabal.”
Trump also urged defections from within Iran’s security establishment, calling on members of the Revolutionary Guards, military and police to lay down their arms and promising immunity to those who did so.
He said he wanted to see Iranians “take back” their country and added that the United States would ensure whoever leads Iran next “will not threaten America or its neighbors.”
The exchange underscored the widening gap between Washington and Tehran as diplomacy gives way to a fast-moving military confrontation whose scope continues to expand.
Iranians have flooded social media with dark humor and mocking comments about the delayed burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei after authorities on Wednesday canceled a planned procession and what they described as a public farewell to his body due to security concerns.
The situation triggered a wave of posts across social media platforms, particularly on X, many of them sarcastic, angry or openly celebratory.
One widely shared comment drew a comparison with the authorities’ treatment of families whose relatives were killed during protests.
More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown on nationwide protests, making it the deadliest two-day protest massacre in history, according to documents reviewed by Iran International.
“In the past two months a man named Ali Khamenei did not allow families of people killed on his orders to hold funerals,” one user wrote. “Now for five days the body of that same man has been kept in a refrigerator and they cannot even issue permission for his burial. What goes around comes around.”

Another post mocked the uncertainty surrounding funeral arrangements. “The funeral procession for Khamenei will be held online through the Shad platform,” a user wrote, referring sarcastically to the government-linked education app used by Iranian schools when classes move online during crises.
Some comments echoed remarks previously made by a state television host who had mocked the deaths of protesters.
Public anger erupted last month after a presenter on Ofogh TV, a channel run by the state broadcaster IRIB and affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, referred to reports that thousands killed during the January crackdown were transported in refrigerated trailers. The program made a multiple choice question about where to keep the bodies of protesters. The show aired a segment posing a multiple-choice question about where the bodies of protesters should be kept.
“Which refrigerator do you think they are keeping Khamenei’s body in?” one user wrote, listing options such as “Netanyahu’s refrigerator,” “an ice-cream factory freezer,” and “the freezers of Antarctica.”
Others used darker language. “The stench of Khamenei’s corpse has spread across the Middle East and they still do not dare bury it,” one user wrote.
Another post said: “Six days have passed and the rotten body of Ali Khamenei is still lying on the ground.”
Some users circulated images of a dead rat with captions claiming sarcastically that the first photo of Khamenei’s body had finally been released.
Revenge in digital form
Many posts framed the mockery as a form of symbolic revenge.
“Khamenei left a deep wound in people’s hearts and denied grieving families the right to mourn,” one user wrote. “His agents buried bodies secretly. Now after days his own body is still on the ground.”
Others referenced reports that some families had been asked to pay for the bullets used to kill their relatives in order to receive their bodies.
“I heard Khamenei’s body has started to rot with worms,” one user wrote. “If you don’t have money for bunker-buster bombs, at least bury him.”
Another post revived a Persian saying about burial rites. “They used to say a corpse never stays on the ground,” the user wrote. “Even if someone has no one, eventually the municipality will bury them. But six days have passed and the body of Ali Khamenei is still lying there.”
“Israel said to return the body of Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic must pay for the missiles it fired, or his family must admit he was part of a Mossad spy team,” one post read, referring sarcastically to reports that families were sometimes asked to sign papers declaring their children Basij members in order to receive their bodies and permission for burial ceremonies.
Others suggested that authorities might abandon plans for a burial altogether.
“It seems they have given up burying Khamenei,” one user wrote. “Maybe they are waiting for the US Navy to throw the carcass into the sea.”
“Khamenei’s body should be bombed again,” another post said. “I’m still not satisfied.”
Britain’s charity regulator issued fresh guidance on Thursday warning charities to exercise caution in their activities related to Iran as tensions in the region intensify, and said it would act on any evidence of links to extremism or terrorism.
The Charity Commission said charities could be affected in different ways by the “volatile situation” in Iran and the wider Middle East and urged trustees to carefully assess the risks of political activity, public statements and overseas operations.
The watchdog said organizations working in or commenting on Iran should be mindful that individuals and groups in the country are subject to sanctions and other restrictions under UK law.
“As a civil regulator we will respond robustly to evidence of links between charities and extremism or terrorism,” a Charity Commission statement said. “We will make referrals to other agencies where appropriate including where there is evidence of criminality.”
Trustees were reminded that any political activity must directly support a charity’s stated purpose and comply with regulations governing campaigning and social media use.
“In the current context, the Commission urges charities to be careful to ensure that any political activity they are involved in furthers their charity’s objects and complies with our guidance,” the regulator said.
The statement comes amid longstanding concerns in Britain that networks connected to Iran have used charities and religious organizations to promote political influence.
Several UK-based charities have faced investigations in recent years over alleged links to groups aligned with Tehran.



In 2024, the Charity Commission opened a compliance case involving the London-based Dar Alhekma Trust and the Abrar Islamic Foundation following a dossier alleging connections to organizations backed by Iran. Both groups deny wrongdoing.
Other organizations have drawn political criticism over activities seen by some lawmakers as promoting narratives aligned with the Islamic Republic. Conservative MP Bob Blackman last year accused Iran-linked groups of exploiting Britain’s charity sector to expand influence and “sow discord” in local communities.
Security officials and lawmakers have also warned that Tehran has used networks in Europe to extend ideological influence, even as regulators emphasize the need to balance scrutiny with protections for lawful religious and charitable activity.
The United States rejected Iranian claims that more than 100 Americans were killed in an attack in Dubai, calling the reports “complete disinformation,” a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the spokesperson said no one was killed or injured in the strike on a US diplomatic facility in Dubai and urged media outlets to verify information with official US government sources before publication.
“Any claim that Iran has killed 100 US military or civilian personnel in Dubai is complete disinformation. No one was killed or injured by the strike on the US Consulate in Dubai.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday that a wave of attacks on US bases in Dubai killed more than 100 American military or civilian personnel.
The State Department said the world should condemn what it described as Iran’s “heinous and illegal attacks” on American diplomatic facilities and those of any country.
The department said it is in direct contact with Americans in the United Arab Emirates seeking information and assistance and is facilitating charter flights from the UAE.
It added that it is working through a 24/7 task force and regional teams to ensure Americans have accurate information and access to support. The department has also opened a crisis intake form for Americans in the UAE seeking departure assistance.
Separately, the United Arab Emirates said Iranian attacks since Saturday had killed three people and wounded 78 others.
The UAE defense ministry said those killed included one Bangladeshi, one Pakistani and one Nepali national.
The ministry said air defenses intercepted three ballistic missiles on Wednesday and detected 129 drones, destroying 121 of them while eight fell inside the country.
Since the start of the attacks, the UAE said it had detected 189 ballistic missiles, destroying 175, while 13 fell into the sea and one landed on its territory.
The ministry added that 941 Iranian drones had been launched toward the UAE, with 876 intercepted and 65 falling inside the country. It also said eight cruise missiles were detected and destroyed, and that interception operations caused some collateral damage.
The UAE condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty and international law and said it reserves the right to respond.
As war spreads across the Middle East and attention focuses on oil, the region’s most dangerous soft targets may be desalination plants.
A serious strike, sabotage operation, cyberattack, or contamination event affecting these facilities would not just damage commerce. It could trigger a rapid human security crisis by threatening drinking water, electricity, sanitation, and public order at the same time.
GCC countries account for around 40 percent of the world’s desalinated water and operate more than 400 desalination plants across the region. About 90 percent of Kuwait’s drinking water comes from desalination. The figure is 86 percent in Oman and 70 percent in Saudi Arabia.
In a region defined by extreme heat, scarce rainfall, overdrawn aquifers, and growing urban populations, desalination is not a technical supplement to national life. It is the infrastructure that makes national life possible.
Persian Gulf governments can absorb temporary shocks to tourism, reroute some trade, and rely on global markets to cushion part of an oil disruption. Water is different. It cannot be improvised at scale, and it cannot be politically rationed for long in cities that depend on the state to supply the basics of daily life.
Qatar’s prime minister warned last year that any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities could “entirely contaminate” the region’s waters and threaten life in Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait.
He also said Qatar had once assessed that it could run out of potable water after just three days in such a scenario, prompting the construction of 15 massive water reservoirs to expand emergency reserves.
Those comments were made before the current war reached today’s level of direct regional spillover.
The Middle East Institute warned in 2025 that the Gulf’s heavy reliance on centralized desalination infrastructure presents a clear strategic vulnerability for Iran’s Arab neighbors.
Research on Qatar’s water security has specifically warned that oil spills and red tides could interrupt desalination operations or force shutdowns for a considerable period. In peacetime, these are serious risks. In wartime, they become strategic liabilities.
A leaked 2008 US diplomatic cable from Riyadh stated that the Jubail desalination plant supplied over 90 percent of Riyadh’s drinking water and warned that the capital “would have to evacuate within a week” if the plant, its pipelines, or associated power infrastructure were seriously damaged or destroyed.
The same cable added that “the current structure of the Saudi government could not exist without the Jubail Desalinization Plant.”
That is why desalination plants may matter more in this conflict than many of the targets receiving greater attention.
Research on conflict-related water disruption has also shown that contamination or shutdown of desalination capacity can worsen water insecurity and heighten risks to public health.
Iran’s recent attacks across the region appear intended in part to internationalize the battlefield and raise the cost for Arab states of aligning with Washington. But targeting, or even credibly threatening, desalination infrastructure would raise those costs in a different and more dangerous way.
It would push GCC governments to treat water security as national survival rather than collateral risk. That, in turn, could draw them more directly into the conflict or harden support for wider retaliation.
A war that begins around missiles, nuclear facilities, and energy flows could therefore widen around something more elemental: whether people in the region can drink, cool their homes, and keep hospitals functioning in extreme heat.
The Arab nations surrounding the Persian Gulf can withstand price shocks, flight cancellations, and even temporary energy disruption more easily than they can withstand a major breakdown in potable water supply.
That is why the next phase of this war may not be defined by what happens to oil. It may be defined by whether anyone is reckless enough to turn the region’s water system into a battlefield.