Minab reconstruction plan seeks nationwide support
A national plan to rebuild Minab, a city in southern Iran, is taking shape following wartime damage that has left the town in need of extensive support, Cultural Heritage Minister Reza Salehi-Amiri said on Thursday.
Minab in Hormozgan Province came under attack during the war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28. The attacks killed children and teachers at Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in the city, drawing national attention to the town and its losses.
The government now says its recovery should extend beyond physical reconstruction to preserving the city’s place in Iran’s collective memory.
Government agencies, provincial authorities and major businesses being called on to help restore its infrastructure and cultural life, Salehi-Amiri said.
Speaking at the fourth national meeting of the Minab Martyrs Headquarters in Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan province, Salehi-Amiri said 22 government agencies had accepted responsibility for supporting the city.
“Projects are to be carried out in two phases, ending on February 28, 2027, and February 28, 2028,” he added.
The minister proposed that each of the country’s other 30 provinces take responsibility for one project in Minab, and called for contributions from 50 public and private banks and major companies in the oil, steel and petrochemical industries.
The proposed measures include tourism infrastructure, handicraft workshops, a specialized museum in Minab and a national museum in Sarabad.
They also cover psychological and social support for families of those killed, alongside weekly cultural and artistic events.
Salehi-Amiri said film, music, literature and visual arts should help introduce Minab nationally and internationally.
He also called for Iranian legal experts to pursue international legal aspects of the Minab issue.
“Minab must become part of the national discourse and the collective memory of Iranians,” he said, describing support for the city as a shared responsibility.