Rome, Italy — Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, the head of the Italian government and leader of the right-wing political party Brothers of Italy, has strongly condemned a deadly missile strike on a school in southern Iran that reportedly killed dozens of students during the early hours of a widening Middle East conflict.
Speaking on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, during a session of the Italian Senate, the upper chamber of Italy’s national parliament in Rome, Meloni described the incident as a tragic attack on young students and called for urgent accountability.
“On behalf of the government, I express my firm condemnation of the massacre of girls at the school in Minab, southern Iran,” she said while addressing lawmakers.
Minab is a city located in Hormozgan Province in southern Iran, close to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes. The school that was reportedly hit by a missile strike became one of the earliest and most devastating incidents following the outbreak of the latest Middle East war.
Meloni also extended sympathy to the families of the victims and stressed that the circumstances surrounding the attack must be quickly clarified.
She offered her solidarity with the families of the “very young victims” and said she wanted “responsibility for this tragedy be swiftly ascertained”.
Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of carrying out the missile strike. However, both countries have disputed or rejected those allegations.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said earlier in the week that Washington had launched an investigation into the incident. Speaking on Monday, March 9, 2026, Trump stated that American officials were examining what had happened at the school.
Iranian state media reported that at least 165 people were killed in the strike, although independent verification has proven difficult due to the ongoing conflict and limited access to the area.
Okay News reports that international journalists and investigators have not yet been able to visit the site of the attack in Minab to independently confirm the number of casualties or the exact circumstances surrounding the strike.
The reported attack occurred on the first day of the newly escalated Middle East war, a conflict that has already triggered competing accusations among regional and global powers.
While Iranian officials insist the strike was carried out by foreign adversaries, the United States has suggested Tehran may bear responsibility for events connected to the outbreak of the conflict. Israel, which has been accused by Iran of involvement, has firmly denied any connection to the attack.
The conflicting claims have complicated efforts by the international community to establish what happened and who may be responsible.
Diplomatic observers say determining accountability for the strike could become a major issue in ongoing international discussions about the expanding Middle East conflict, particularly as global leaders call for restraint and protection of civilians.
For now, the tragedy in Minab has intensified concern among governments and humanitarian organisations about the safety of civilians, especially children, as hostilities spread across the region.
