The images coming out of Parand, just southwest of Tehran, are becoming a grim routine in a war that’s only a week old. On Thursday, Iranian state media reported that missiles from the US and Israel struck two schools in the town, turning classrooms into piles of concrete and twisted metal. If you’ve been following the news, you know this isn't the first time. Just six days ago, a strike on a girls' primary school in Minab killed 165 people, mostly children.
The immediate question everyone is asking is whether these are accidents or if the "rules of war" have been tossed out the window. The US and Israel claim they're targeting military infrastructure, but when schools keep ending up in the crosshairs, that explanation starts to wear thin.
The Reality of Operation Epic Fury
Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli campaign that kicked off on February 28, 2026, was sold as a surgical strike to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The initial wave actually took out Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of top officials. But as the campaign shifts into its "next stage"—targeting the defense industrial base and internal security architecture—the line between military and civilian is blurring.
In the Parand strikes, Iran’s Fars news agency shared photos of destroyed desks and debris in what was clearly an educational setting. Nearby residential units were also hit. We’re seeing a pattern where military assets are embedded so deeply within urban neighborhoods that hitting one almost guarantees hitting the other.
Why Schools Are Ending Up in the Crosshairs
There are three main reasons we’re seeing schools being hit, and none of them make the situation any less tragic.
- Human Shields and Military Basing: Reports have surfaced, including footage from residents in Qazvin and Tehran, showing Iranian security forces using local schools as makeshift bases. When the IRGC or the Basij move into a school, that building loses its protected status under international law and becomes a legitimate military target.
- Intelligence Failure: The Al Jazeera investigation into the Minab strike showed the school was clearly separate from an adjacent military site for over a decade. If the US and Israel are working off outdated or flat-out wrong intelligence, "precision" strikes become anything but.
- Decimation of Systems: Some analysts argue this is a deliberate strategy to collapse the Iranian state's ability to function. By hitting schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, the goal might be to incite enough internal chaos that the regime's control apparatus—already weakened by protests earlier this year—completely falls apart.
The Humanitarian Cost So Far
The numbers are staggering. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, over 3,600 civilian sites have been damaged or destroyed since the war started. This includes:
- 3,090 homes
- 528 commercial centers
- 13 medical facilities
- 9 Red Crescent centers
The strike in Minab remains the deadliest single event, where 165 schoolgirls and staff were killed. These weren't "collateral" in the eyes of the families; they were 7-to-12-year-olds in a classroom. Even UN experts are calling for independent investigations, labeling these strikes as potential war crimes under the Rome Statute.
What This Means for the Near Future
Don't expect the tempo to slow down. President Trump has already signaled he won't accept a new Iranian leader who continues Khamenei’s policies. Meanwhile, the IDF has moved into a phase of targeting industrial zones like Pakdasht and Qom.
If you're in the region or have family there, the strategy is shifting from air superiority to total industrial degradation. This means more strikes in densely populated areas where factories and warehouses are tucked between apartment blocks and schools.
Immediate steps for those tracking the conflict:
- Monitor ACLED's Live Iran Crisis Hub: They’re providing daily data on strike locations that often bypasses state censorship.
- Check the Institute for the Study of War (ISW): Their evening special reports give the best breakdown of which "phases" the military operation is moving into.
- Watch the Strait of Hormuz: With 20% of the world's oil at stake and the IRGC threatening to close it, energy prices are the next thing that’s going to hit home for everyone else.
The war is moving fast, and the distinction between a military base and a neighborhood school is getting harder to find.
