US yet to apologise for deadly Iran school strike, says Iranian diplomat

• Iranian diplomat Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi said Washington had not apologised for a school strike that he said killed 168 children

• Speaking in New Delhi, he called for international condemnation and said some families were still waiting to recover their children’s remains

• Palestine’s ambassador accused the US of sustaining Israel’s war in Gaza through weapons supplies and diplomatic support

The United States has yet to apologise for an attack on a primary school in Iran that killed 168 children, according to Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader.

Speaking at the NDTV World Summit in New Delhi on Friday, Ilahi accused Washington of responsibility for the 28 February strike on Shajareh Tayyibeh School in Minab and urged the international community to condemn it.

Some children’s bodies had still not been recovered, leaving their parents without graves at which to mourn, he said during a session titled ‘A Region in Flux: Who Will Shape the West Asia’s Future?’

Ilahi called for action to prevent similar attacks, whether in Iran or elsewhere, and said the consequences of the conflict extended beyond the West Asia.

While putting the school’s death toll at 168 children, he also referred to what he described as a UN investigative finding recording 125 children killed. He did not explain the difference between the two figures.

The diplomat said the absence of an American apology had compounded the distress of families affected by the attack.

Ilahi dismisses concerns over Khamenei’s health

Ilahi also addressed questions about the health of Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, saying he was well and continuing to discharge his responsibilities.

He cited accounts from Iran’s president, parliamentary speaker and personal contacts who, he said, had recently met Khamenei.

According to Ilahi, the president had spoken of a seven-hour meeting with the supreme leader the previous week. The parliamentary speaker had also reported spending several hours with him.

Ilahi further said Khamenei had attended his father’s funeral and participated in a public demonstration in Iran.

Palestinian envoy criticises US support for Israel

Palestine’s ambassador to India, Abdullah Abu Shawesh, who joined the discussion, accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and criticised countries supplying it with weapons.

He singled out the United States for its military assistance and political backing, arguing that Washington’s support had helped sustain the war.

Drawing on his eight years at the United Nations, Abu Shawesh said the US had used its veto six times to block efforts aimed at ending the bloodshed in Gaza.

He argued that describing the situation solely as humanitarian suffering failed to convey the nature and scale of the violence against Palestinians.

With IANS inputs