Iran’s national football team staged a silent protest on Friday to honor victims of the deadly Shajareh Tayyebeh School attack, holding small pink and purple schoolbags before a friendly match against Nigeria in Antalya, Turkey. Players also wore black armbands during the national anthem in a gesture of mourning and solidarity.
The tribute came nearly a month after the February 28 strike on the primary school in Minab, southern Iran, which killed more than 170 students and teachers, according to Iranian officials. A United Nations inquiry has opened an investigation into the attack, while U.N. rights chief Volker Türk has urged the United States to quickly conclude its own probe.
Iranian football federation vice president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi said the gesture was a unanimous decision by the squad, reflecting national grief over one of the deadliest incidents since the conflict began. The symbolic protest drew international attention as Iran continues to press for accountability over the school strike.
The match itself ended in a 2 to 1 defeat for Iran, but the focus remained on the message sent before kickoff. By turning a football fixture into a moment of remembrance, the players highlighted the human cost of the war and the enduring pain felt by families of the victims.
