A witness report on the disappearance of Makan Nasiri’s remains after the Minab school strike

Last updated: June 25, 2026
Project: Remember Minab
Purpose: Memory, truth, accountability, and protection of children in war

Executive Summary

Makan Nasiri was a seven-year-old first-grade student at Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan Province, Iran.

On February 28, 2026, during the opening day of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, the school was struck. Public reports described the attack as one of the deadliest civilian incidents of the war. Iranian authorities later reported 156 people killed, including 120 students and 26 teachers, while some earlier reports cited higher figures.

Among all the children killed, Makan’s story became one of the most devastating symbols of the tragedy.

After nearly seven weeks of searching, Al Jazeera reported that authorities told Makan’s parents his case had been closed because no remains had been found. Later, Iranian media quoting the Head of the Hormozgan Judiciary reported that experts believed the missile had struck Makan directly. According to those reports, after more than 100 DNA samples were tested, not a single trace of his body was identified.

Not a body.
Not a bone.
Not even a strand of hair.

Only a torn schoolbag and one shoe were reportedly found.

This page exists to document Makan’s story with dignity, evidence, and moral clarity — so that his name is not buried beneath silence, denial, or the language of war.

Who Was Makan?

Makan Nasiri was a child.

He was seven years old.
He was in first grade.
He went to school.
He had a family waiting for him to come home.

The details publicly available about his life are limited, and this page does not attempt to invent what is not known. But even the few facts that are known are enough to reveal the scale of the loss.

Makan was not a statistic.
He was not collateral damage.
He was not an abstract casualty of a military operation.

He was a child whose life ended inside a school — and whose family was left without even a body to bury.

What Happened to the School?

On February 28, 2026, Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab was hit during the first day of a wider U.S.–Israeli military campaign against Iran.

Reports from international media, including Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Associated Press, and Amnesty International, described the attack as involving a school full of children and teachers during school hours.

Reuters later reported that U.S. military investigators believed it was likely that U.S. forces were responsible for the strike, while the investigation had not yet reached a final conclusion. Reuters also reported that the strike may have resulted from the use of outdated targeting data.

Amnesty International concluded that the United States failed to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and called for those responsible to be held accountable.

Remember Minab condemns the strike on the school and calls for every responsible actor — including those who planned, authorized, executed, enabled, justified, concealed, or delayed accountability for the attack — to be investigated and held responsible through lawful, transparent, and independent mechanisms.

The Search for Makan

After the strike, families searched for their children in rubble, hospitals, morgues, and official lists.

For many families, the horror was identification.
For Makan’s family, the horror was absence.

Al Jazeera reported on April 23, 2026 that Makan was the only child still missing from the school bombing and that, after nearly seven weeks of searching for remains, authorities told his parents that his case had been closed.

Later, Iranian media quoting the Head of the Hormozgan Judiciary reported an even more devastating conclusion: experts believed that the missile had struck Makan directly, leaving no recoverable remains. According to those reports, after more than 100 DNA samples were taken and examined, none matched Makan.

The public reports stated that only a torn schoolbag and one shoe were found.

This is almost impossible to imagine.

A mother left with no grave to hold.
A father left with no body to bury.
A family left without a final touch, a final farewell, or even a fragment of certainty.

Why Makan’s Story Matters

Makan’s story matters because it exposes a wound that cannot be hidden behind military language.

When a school is struck, the question is not only who fired the weapon. The question is also who failed to protect the children; who accepted the risk; who ignored the signs; who delayed the truth; who minimized the loss; and who hoped the world would move on.

A child without a grave becomes an accusation against forgetting.

Makan’s absence demands memory.
His missing body demands truth.
His torn schoolbag demands accountability.
His single shoe demands that the world look again.

This is why Remember Minab exists.

A Witness in the Tradition of Zainab

After Karbala, Zainab stood before power and refused to let the truth be buried. The rulers wanted to control the story. They wanted the victims to disappear into fear, silence, and official language. Zainab changed the meaning of survival: she made memory an act of resistance.

Remember Minab is inspired by that duty to witness.

This does not mean every tragedy is identical to Karbala. It means that the moral duty remains alive: when the powerful try to manage a crime through silence, delay, denial, or distortion, someone must preserve the truth.

Makan’s story must be preserved with the same moral seriousness.

Not for revenge.
Not for hatred.
Not against any people or nationality.

But for truth.
For accountability.
For every child whose classroom should have been a place of safety, not death.

What Must Be Asked

Makan’s story leaves urgent questions that require independent investigation and public answers:

Who authorized the strike that hit the school?
What information was used to identify the target?
Were civilian risks properly assessed?
Were all feasible precautions taken to protect children and teachers?
Why did a school remain vulnerable to attack?
Why were families left waiting for answers?
Why has full accountability not yet been delivered?

These questions are not political luxuries. They are moral necessities.

What Justice Requires

Justice for Makan begins with truth.

It requires a full, transparent, independent investigation into the strike.
It requires the publication of findings.
It requires identification of the chain of responsibility.
It requires formal recognition of the victims.
It requires support for the families.
It requires reparations.
It requires guarantees that no school will ever again be treated as an acceptable risk of war.

Makan cannot be returned to his mother.

But his name can be protected from erasure.
His story can be carried beyond Iran.
His absence can become evidence.
His memory can become a demand.

Verification Note

This page is based on publicly available reports from international media, human-rights organizations, and Iranian media quoting official judicial statements.

Some reported figures have changed over time. For example, early reports cited higher casualty numbers, while later reports cited 156 killed, including 120 students and 26 teachers. Remember Minab distinguishes between confirmed facts, publicly reported claims, and information still requiring independent verification.

Where information remains disputed or incomplete, this page uses cautious language such as “reported,” “according to,” and “publicly stated.”

Memory must be protected by evidence.

Closing Statement

Makan Nasiri was seven years old.

He went to school and never came home.

No body was returned.
No grave was given.
No final farewell was possible.

Only a torn schoolbag.
Only one shoe.
Only a name the world must not forget.

Remember Makan.
Remember Minab.
Demand the truth.

References and Source Links

1. Al Jazeera. “Makan Nasiri, the only child still missing from the school bombed in Iran.” Published April 23, 2026.
This report states that after nearly seven weeks of searching for remains, authorities told Makan Nasiri’s parents that his case had been closed.
Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/23/makan-nasiri-the-only-missing-child-from-the-school-bombed-in-irans-minab

2. Reuters. “U.S. investigation points to likely U.S. responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say.” Published March 10, 2026.
Reuters reported that U.S. military investigators believed it was likely that U.S. forces were responsible for the strike, while the investigation had not yet reached a final conclusion.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-investigation-points-likely-us-responsibility-iran-school-strike-sources-say-2026-03-06/

3. Reuters. “U.S. may have struck Iranian girls’ school after using outdated targeting data.” Published March 11, 2026.
Reuters reported that the strike may have resulted from the use of outdated targeting data, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-may-have-struck-iranian-girls-school-after-using-outdated-targeting-data-2026-03-11/

4. Reuters. “Bombed Iranian girls school had vivid website and yearslong online presence.” Published March 12, 2026.
This Reuters investigation documented the school’s public visibility before the strike, including its online presence and publicly available signs of school activity.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/investigations/bombed-iranian-girls-school-had-vivid-website-yearslong-online-presence-2026-03-12/

5. Reuters. “Pentagon elevates investigation into Iran school strike.” Published March 13, 2026.
Reuters reported that the U.S. military elevated its investigation into the February 28 strike after media reports indicated likely U.S. responsibility.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/pentagon-elevates-investigation-into-iran-school-strike-2026-03-13/

6. Reuters. “UN body investigating fatal strike on Iranian girls’ school.” Published March 17, 2026.
Reuters reported that a United Nations inquiry had started investigating the fatal strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh School.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-body-investigating-fatal-strike-iranian-girls-school-2026-03-17/

7. Reuters. “UN rights chief urges U.S. to conclude probe into deadly Iran school strike.” Published March 27, 2026.
Reuters reported that the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Washington to conclude its investigation and publish the findings.
Link: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/un-rights-chief-urges-us-conclude-probe-into-deadly-iran-school-strike-2026-03-27/

8. Amnesty International. “USA/Iran: Those responsible for deadly and unlawful U.S. strike on school that killed over 100 children must be held accountable.” Published March 18, 2026.
Amnesty International concluded that the United States failed to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and called for accountability.
Link: https://www.amnesty.ie/those_responsible_for_deadly_and_unlawful_us_strike_on_school_that_killed_over_100_children_must_be_held_accountable/

9. The Guardian. “‘The most bitter news’: Iran reels as more than 100 children reportedly killed in school bombing.” Published February 28, 2026.
The Guardian reported early accounts of the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School and the reported killing of more than 100 children.
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/28/children-dead-as-missile-hits-elementary-school-in-southern-iran

10. The Guardian. “Parents of victims of Iran school bombing describe the day their children died.” Published March 28, 2026.
This report documented families’ accounts after the Minab school bombing and their demand for answers and accountability.
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/28/parents-victims-iran-minab-shajareh-tayyebeh-school-bombing-describe-day

11. Los Angeles Times. “Iranians recount attempts to find survivors after school strike.” Published May 6, 2026.
This report described families’ attempts to identify children after the missile strike and cited at least 156 killed, including 120 students and 26 teachers.
Link: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-05-06/we-found-his-sweater-in-morgue-bloodied-dusty-but-no-body

12. Asr Iran / Mehr News Agency. Report quoting the Head of the Hormozgan Judiciary on Makan Nasiri. Published June 2026.
This Persian-language report states that, according to judicial authorities, experts believed the missile directly struck Makan Nasiri; after more than 100 DNA samples, no trace of his body was found, and only a torn bag and one shoe were recovered.
Link: https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/1172728/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%DA%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B4%DA%A9-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%B4%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%85%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%B5%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AA-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%AF

13. Entekhab / Mehr News Agency. Report quoting the Head of the Hormozgan Judiciary on the Makan Nasiri case. Published June 2026 / 2 Tir 1405.
This Persian-language report gives similar details about the DNA tests, the absence of recoverable remains, and the recovery of Makan’s torn schoolbag and shoe.
Link: https://www.entekhab.ir/fa/news/927278/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%DA%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B4%DA%A9-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%B4%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D9%85%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%B5%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AA-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%85%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%AF-%D9%BE%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D8%B2-100-%D9%86%D9%85%D9%88%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%87%DB%8C%DA%86-%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D9%BE%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%B1-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%B4%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D9%88%DA%86%DA%A9-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D9%81%D9%82%D8%B7-%DB%8C%DA%A9-%D9%84%D9%86%DA%AF%D9%87-%DA%A9%D9%81%D8%B4-%D9%88-%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%81-%D9%BE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%88-%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D8%B4%D8%AF%D9%87