The United Nations Human Rights Office has called on those responsible for a deadly assault on a girls’ school in Iran to conduct a thorough investigation and publicly disclose their findings. Interestingly, the UN did not assign blame to any specific group.

“High Commissioner Volker Turk demands a swift, unbiased, and comprehensive probe into the circumstances surrounding the attack,” stated UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani during a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

Shamdasani emphasized that the responsibility for examining the incident lies with the perpetrators, urging them to take immediate action. She described the attack as “absolutely horrific,” highlighting the powerful images circulating on social media that depict the “destruction, despair, and senseless cruelty” of the conflict.

Turk further appealed to all parties involved to exercise caution and seek a return to diplomatic negotiations, Shamdasani added.

The tragic event occurred at a school in southern Iran on Saturday, coinciding with the onset of U.S. and Israeli military actions against the nation.

The school in southern Iran was hit on Saturday, the ‌first day of US and Israeli attacks against the country.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that US forces “would not deliberately target a school”.

Israel has said it is investigating the incident.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva Ali ‌Bahreini had previously raised the issue with Turk in a letter dated 1 March, calling the attack “unjustifiable” and “criminal”.

He said the attack had killed 150 students.

Turk’s office does not have enough information to make a determination as to whether the strike constituted a war crime, Shamdasani said.

For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.