UN Human Rights Chief Demands Justice After School Strike Kills 168

The bombing of an Iranian elementary school drew “visceral horror,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said today, as he pressed Washington to finish its investigation and demanded justice for “the terrible harm done”.

Turk spoke at the opening of an urgent debate in the UN Human Rights Council called to address the 28 February attack on a school in Minab, describing the strike as an attack on children that none of the council’s members should be willing to justify.

“The bombing evoked a visceral horror,” Turk told the UN’s top rights body.

He pointed to the scenes captured in footage and photographs—bombed-out classrooms and grieving parents—arguing that war’s costs are paid most heavily by those who have little or no influence over decisions that lead to conflict.

A preliminary assessment by a US military investigation, reported by The New York Times, said a US Tomahawk cruise missile struck the school due to a targeting mistake.

The aftermath of the fatal strike on the school

Turk said the responsibility now lies with the perpetrators to examine the attack quickly and openly.

“The onus is on those who carried out the attack to investigate it promptly, impartially, transparently and thoroughly,” he said.

He added that senior US officials have stated the strike is under investigation, and he called for the process to end “as soon as possible,” with its findings made public.

“There must be justice for the terrible harm done.”

The debate, requested by Iran, China and Cuba, marked the second emergency session held by the council this week, with both debates centered on the Middle East war.

On Wednesday, another urgent discussion—requested by Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan—examined Iran’s strikes across the Gulf region and their effects on civilians.

After that session, the 47-member council reached consensus on a resolution condemning Iran’s “egregious attacks” on its Gulf neighbors, calling for swift “reparation” for all victims.

Today’s debate did not include consideration of a draft resolution and was scheduled to run for about two hours.

Trump extends deadline for striking Iran’s energy plants

Donald Trump, flanked by Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth (R), said planned attacks on Iran’s energy sites would be paused

Separately, US President Donald Trump said he has extended his deadline for attacks on Iran’s energy sites, saying negotiations aimed at ending the war are “going very well” even as Israel announced new strikes on Tehran.

The four-week conflict has spread across the region, killing thousands of people and rattling the global economy through higher energy costs—conditions that have intensified fears of rising inflation worldwide.

According to the article, the United States and Israel began striking Iran on 28 February after discussions regarding Tehran’s nuclear program failed to produce a deal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said G7 countries should help support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He said this as he prepared to arrive in France this morning for a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers.

On Wednesday, Trump warned during a cabinet meeting at the White House that the US would increase pressure on Iran if it did not reach an agreement, according to the report. He later posted on social media that he would pause threatened attacks on Iranian energy plants for ten days, setting the end of the pause for 6 April.

“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” he said in a Truth Social post.

About a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas moves through the Strait of Hormuz during peacetime, underscoring the stakes for any disruption.

Iran has said it is not in discussions with the United States, and Trump has not named who the US is negotiating with in Iran, where many senior officials have been killed during the war.

Pro-government supporters stand beneath a huge banner of the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei

On 23 March, Trump announced a five-day halt to all threatened strikes against power plants and other energy infrastructure, before extending the pause to ten days.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran did not request a ten-day extension, citing peace talk mediators.

Trump told Fox News’ The Five that Iranian officials asked for a seven-day pause on attacks on energy plants. There was no immediate response from Tehran.

Iran has said it would resume strikes on energy facilities in the Gulf region if Trump follows through with his threat.

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Analysts warn that the prospect of tit-for-tat strikes targeting civilian infrastructure could further unsettle global markets and endanger the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on electricity for daily life and for systems that provide fresh water.

The conflict has also severely disrupted shipping. Crude oil prices have risen by around 40%, liquefied natural gas prices have spiked, and nitrogen-based fertilizers—key to food production—have climbed by about 50%.

Stock markets fell sharply yesterday, with the Nasdaq dropping more than 2% as investors adjusted expectations. At the same time, Brent crude jumped to more than $105 a barrel as hopes for a quick resolution dimmed.

Despite Trump’s optimistic assessment, Iran continued to retaliate against US and Israeli strikes by hitting Israel and US bases. It also struck Gulf states and effectively limited Middle East fuel exports through the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.

Men work at a crater created by an Israeli strike in Nabi Chit, Lebanon

Trump said yesterday that Iran could allow ten oil tankers to pass through the strait as a goodwill gesture, including some vessels flying Pakistan’s flag, in the context of negotiations.

He also said the US would become Iran’s “worst nightmare” if Iran does not comply with US demands, including opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending its nuclear program. He added that taking control of Iran’s oil was an option, but did not offer details.

The Pentagon was reportedly considering deploying up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing officials at the department.

In addition, the Pentagon told Reuters that the US has deployed uncrewed drone speedboats for patrols as part of its operations against Iran—an account the report said was the first time the US has confirmed using such vessels in an active conflict.

Iran rejects 15-point plan

An Iranian official said that a 15-point US proposal, delivered to Tehran via Pakistan, was reviewed in detail on Wednesday by senior Iranian officials and by the representative of Iran’s supreme leader. The official said the review concluded the proposal served only US and Israeli interests.

The official said diplomacy had not ended, however.

The proposal reportedly included demands such as dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, curbing its missiles, and effectively handing over control of the strait, according to sources and reports.

Pakistan’s foreign minister said “indirect talks” between the US and Iran are ongoing through messages relayed by Islamabad, with other states—including Turkey and Egypt—also supporting mediation efforts.

Rocket trails are seen amid a barrage of Iranian missile attacks above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya

Iran has hardened its position since the war began, insisting on guarantees against future military action, compensation for losses, and formal control of the strait, according to Iranian sources.

Regional sources also said Iran told intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire agreement.

Earlier this morning, Israel’s military said it conducted “a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran”.

In Lebanon, state media reported an airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, as AFP correspondents heard multiple explosions from Hezbollah’s stronghold.

Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel yesterday, striking Tel Aviv, Haifa and other areas, including a Palestinian town in central Israel.

Israel’s military said at least one ballistic missile hit Tel Aviv, while other missiles carried cluster munitions that scattered smaller explosives, damaging homes and cars.

Israel’s ambulance service said a man was killed in Nahariya after Hezbollah fired a rocket barrage at the northern city.

In Iran, strikes hit Bandar Abbas in the south and a village on the outskirts of Shiraz. A university building in Isfahan was also reported hit.

Fars news agency, described as semi-official, said at least six people died after a strike damaged three residential buildings in central Iran’s Qom, citing a provincial official.