Culture minister calls Minab tragedy document against cruel wars
Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi said Monday that the Minab school tragedy should be preserved as a lasting symbol of the Iranian people’s suffering and resilience, describing it as a powerful cultural document against unjust wars.
Speaking at the 126th meeting of the Art Council in Tehran on September 14, Salehi said the tragedy possessed distinctive features that set it apart from many other painful events in Iran’s recent history, IRNA reported.
“Over the past five decades, we have experienced many events combining grief and heroism,” he said. “But the Minab school has characteristics that distinguish it from many other incidents.”
Salehi said the tragedy should not be allowed to fade into the past as a distant memory. Instead, he called for keeping its story alive through cultural and artistic work.
“The Minab school tragedy is a symbol of the innocence of the Iranian people and a document for deterrence against cruel and unjust wars,” he said, describing it as a “flag” representing the suffering endured by Iran.
The minister recalled other attacks on schools during the Sacred Defense era, including an incident in Borujerd, but said the Minab tragedy had acquired a broader resonance because it occurred on the first day of a large-scale war and quickly established a powerful connection with wider public consciousness.
The US attack on Shajareh Tayebeh Elementary school in the city of Minab left 175 students and teachers deal. On the same day, the US carried out another airstrike on a sports hall in the city of Lamerd in Fars Province, killing 24 innocent Iranians and injuring over 130 others.
Its particular circumstances and the innocence of its victims gave the event an enduring humanitarian dimension, he said.
Salehi argued that preserving the tragedy through art and culture could give it a lasting place beyond Iran’s borders.
“It can become a deterrent force against the unjust wars launched by the cruel powers of the world,” he said.
The Art Council meeting also reviewed proposed amendments to regulations governing the establishment and supervision of private art schools. Members discussed preparations for a national survey on literary, cultural and artistic literacy, as well as cultural and artistic initiatives undertaken to commemorate the Minab school tragedy.
The discussions focused on how cultural institutions and artists can help preserve the memory of a tragedy that Salehi said should remain part of Iran’s living cultural narrative.