As an Iranian delegation arrived in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad for talks with the US to end all hostilities in the Middle East, Tehran used this opportunity to deliver a strong and powerful message to the world and remind everyone about the Minab school strike that left 168 children dead.
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf shared an inside image of the aircraft he was travelling to Islamabad on X (previously Twitter) in which the photographs of the victims were placed on empty seats. "My companions on this flight, Minab168," Ghalibaf said.
The Minab strike happened in the early days of the US-Israel-Iran war when the American military hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh school with missiles. The US claimed that the strike was intended for a military base near the school but the Iranians claimed that the attack was 'calculated'.
Iranians later also released images of the two US Navy personnel - Leigh R. Tate, the commander, and Jeffrey E. York, the executive officer of the USS Spruance - who it claimed had authorised the strike. Iran has raised the issue in the United Nations (UN), which has asked the US to conclude its probe and provide justice to the victims by taking action against those responsible for the strike.
The US-Iran talks in Pakistan
Coming to the US-Iran talks in Pakistan, the Iranian delegation is led by Ghalibaf, and also consists Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati and other officials.
While the world awaits for the results of the talks, the Iranian side has hinted that it is wary of the negotiations, saying it has only met with "broken promises" in negotiating with the US. "We have good intentions but we do not trust... Our experience in negotiating with the Americans has always been met with failure and broken promises," the Iranian Parliament Speaker said after arriving in Islamabad.
Iran wants a ceasefire in Lebanon and unfreezing of its assets under the ceasefire agreement, warning that it might pull out of the agreement if its demands are not met; though the US has asked Iran not to 'play' with it and threatening it to hit the Middle East nation with fresh strikes.
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