Iran went to Pakistan for talks with the United States with more than just an intention for peace — they want to make the human cost of the war count.
The Iranian delegation, led by Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, is named ‘Minab 168,’ after the school children killed in US-Israel strikes on the first day of the war.
The delegation was accompanied by blood-soaked school bags, shoes, white flowers, and pictures of the Minab school victims to Islamabad.
In a social media post, Ghalibaf shared a picture showing him looking at the pictures of the children and their belongings. He wrote: “My companions on this flight #Minab168”
The Iranian delegation is scheduled to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at noon Saturday ahead of high-stakes talks with the US, which have been dubbed the “Islamabad talks”.
Iranian negotiators arrived in Islamabad late on Friday.
What happened in Minab?
A strike on the first day of the war, February 28, hit a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab, killing more than 160 children, according to authorities. The strike reportedly took place at a , Shajareh Tayyibeh School.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had shared an aerial picture on his social media handle, showing mass graves being dug to bury “innocent” girls, days after the alleged strike. In the same post, Araghchi slammed US President Donald Trump, calling the attack a ‘cold-blooded’ murder.
“The destroyed building is a primary school for girls in the south of Iran. It was bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils. Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone. These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered,” he wrote.
The US has time and again rejected the claim that it attacked a school in Minab.
“We think it was done by Iran. Because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever,” Trump once told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Preliminary findings of a US military investigation reported by The New York Times showed that a had hit the school due to a targeting mistake.
The US is the only country involved in the war that uses Tomahawk missiles.
US-Iran peace talks
A US delegation led by Vice President is also headed to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials.
Both countries are aiming at shoring up a shaky ceasefire and paving the way for a permanent end to the fighting. It marks the first such meeting since the war began more than a month ago.
The ceasefire brokered by Pakistan still faces hurdles, as Israel and Hezbollah militants have been trading fire along the border of Lebanon, and Iran has set conditions before negotiations can begin.
Qalibaf said on X that discussions will only take place if there is an Israeli ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of blocked Iranian assets.
Hours earlier, Trump wished Vance good luck, saying, “We’ll find out what’s going on. They’re militarily defeated.”
Pakistan PM said the conflict was entering a “difficult phase” as the sides try to shift from a temporary pause in fighting to a more lasting settlement. He said they were at a “make-or-break” moment.
