Iran footballers offer powerful tribute to schoolgirls killed in American bombing at Minab

The men's football team of Iran offered a powerful tribute on Friday to the schoolgirls killed in an alleged American bombing in Minab on February 28.

The footballers wore black armbands and held pink and purple school bags during the national anthem ahead of a friendly match against Nigeria in Turkey on Friday.

An Iranian team official said the gesture was their protest to the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh School, reportedly carried out using American Tomahawk missiles. According to Tehran, at least 175 were killed in the attack, mostly students.

"They were deeply affected by the bombing of the girls’ school and wanted to express their sympathy," Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, a vice president of the Iranian football federation, told the Reuters news agency through a translator.

The US has yet to accept its role in the school bombing. Initially, President Trump said the Iranians were likely responsible for the incident, but follow-up remarks from Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth put the US in a spot.

The New York Times reported that a preliminary military investigation suggested that the US was at fault for the attack. On Friday, the UN rights chief urged Washington to conclude its investigation into the strike at the UN Human Rights Council.

Meanwhile, Iran lost the match 1-2, but the players’ protest drew international attention. Iran are set to play in the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, starting June 11.

US President Donald Trump recently said that, though the Iranians were welcome to participate in the World Cup, it was advisable that they did not travel for their ‘life and safety’.