China Pledges $200,000 to Families of Students Killed in Iran School Missile Strike

China has announced it will provide $200,000 in humanitarian aid to the families of students killed in a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran, describing the attack as “indiscriminate” and a grave violation of international law.

The missile struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab during the early stages of the Middle East conflict, killing scores of students. Iranian media reported that funerals were held for at least 165 victims, many of them children.

China’s Foreign Ministry said the funds will be routed through the Red Cross Society of China to the Iranian Red Crescent Society to offer condolences and compensation to the bereaved families.

The Iranian government has accused the United States and Israel of carrying out the strike. Preliminary findings from a U.S. military investigation, reported by The New York Times, indicate a U.S. Tomahawk missile may have hit the school due to a targeting error. Israel has denied involvement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the strike, saying, “Attacks on schools and children constitute a severe violation of international humanitarian law and breach the bottom line of human conscience and morality.”

China also expressed readiness to continue humanitarian support for the Iranian people in the aftermath of the tragedy.