BREAKING: The death toll from a strike that hit a school in southern Iran has risen to 85 people, an official says on Iranian state TV.

 

BREAKING: The death toll from a strike that hit a school in southern Iran has risen to 85 people, an official says on Iranian state TV.

Follow AP's live updates for more. https://t.co/wqnEZUFOM3

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2026

The Associated Press (AP) post you linked reports a breaking development from February 28, 2026:Key details from the post:The death toll from a strike on a school in southern Iran has risen to 85 people, according to an official statement on Iranian state TV.

AP links to their live updates covering the broader US and Israel attacks on Iran that day.

Context from reports:

This incident occurred amid large-scale joint US-Israeli airstrikes across Iran (often described in sources as "major combat operations" or similar). The specific strike hit Shajareh Tayyebeh (or similar spelling), an all-girls' elementary/primary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, southern Iran.Iranian state media (IRNA, Tasnim, IRIB, judiciary sources) and outlets citing them report the victims were mostly young girls/students (ages roughly 7–12), with dozens more injured (figures like 93 wounded in some updates).

The toll rose progressively in reports: early figures mentioned ~40–60 deaths, later climbing to 85+ as rescue efforts continued.

Iran described it as a deliberate strike on a civilian school during school hours, calling it a war crime / barbaric act. Iranian officials (including the president and foreign minister) condemned it strongly and vowed response.

Iran retaliated with missile/drone strikes on Israel and US bases/assets in the Gulf region.

Broader situation:Strikes reportedly hit multiple provinces (up to 24 per some Red Crescent statements), with overall Iranian casualty claims in the hundreds (e.g., 200+ killed across sites).

The US side (per limited early statements) emphasized targeting military/IRGC sites and efforts to minimize civilian harm, but no independent verification of the school strike's exact cause/targeting has been widely confirmed in Western reporting yet.

Many replies to the AP post accuse it of echoing Iranian regime propaganda, claim the school was hit by an errant Iranian missile, or criticize AP's wording ("a strike" instead of directly attributing it). These are common in polarized discussions but aren't backed by the main news sources covering the event.

This is a fast-moving and highly contentious story from today (Feb 28, 2026), with information primarily from Iranian state sources so far. AP's live blog is probably the best place for ongoing English-language updates: https://apnews.com/live/live-updates-israel-iran-february-28-2026Let me know if you'd like more on any aspect!