(REUTERS) Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi urged the UN Human Rights Council on Friday (March 27) to condemn the February 28 strike on a school in Minab, southern Iran, as delegates from the United States and Israel were absent from the chamber.

Araqchi called the attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School a "war crime and a crime against humanity," saying more than 175 students and teachers were killed.

The U.S. military previously elevated its investigation into the strike after preliminary findings suggested U.S. forces were likely responsible, according to Reuters reporting.

Preliminary findings suggest U.S. forces may have relied on outdated targeting data that did not distinguish between the school and an adjoining military base.

Araqchi accused the United States and Israel of a broader pattern of attacks on civilian infrastructure, saying more than 600 schools had been damaged and more than 1,000 students and teachers killed or wounded across Iran. He said Iran had not sought war but would continue to defend itself.

Posted by: Alma Angeles/NET25 News