Geneva: Iran's health minister told the World Health Assembly that his country came under 'unprovoked attack' by the United States and the Israeli regime, targeting civilians, children, and health infrastructure, and called on the global body to condemn such assaults as war crimes.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, speaking at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Dr. Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi cited a missile attack on a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on the first day of the aggression on February 28, which killed 168 students and teachers. "These were not combatants; they were children with dreams," the minister said.

Zafarghandi told delegates that during the US-Israeli aggression, 376 children under the age of 18 were killed, more than 33,000 civilians were injured, 63 hospitals were damaged, and 195 other health-related infrastructure facilities were also struck. He described the data as 'clear evidence of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets.'

The health minister directly quoted WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has previously stated, "Bombing a hospital or a school is not a 'miscalculation.' These are war crimes. Full stop." Zafarghandi also pointed out that the Pasteur Institute of Iran, a century-old pillar of the country's public health system, had been "directly hit."

"Attacking a school or hospital is attacking the future and the fundamentals of ethics," he said. The Iranian minister urged the assembly to condemn attacks on civilians and civilian health infrastructure.

Despite the strikes, he insisted that Iran's health system continues to function 'with pride.' "We will not be broken," Zafarghandi said. "Our National Team of Health stands with the people of Iran in any condition." He closed with a plea for diplomacy, emphasizing that "Health can and must remain a bridge for peace."