More than 250 students, faculty members, and participants from the Iran-Nicaragua Parliamentary Friendship Group gathered at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN-Managua) on Friday to commemorate the 168 students killed in a missile strike in Minab, Iran. The ceremony marked the 168th day since the deadly attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Hormozgan province, where a missile strike reportedly launched by the United States took the lives of 168 students, predominantly schoolgirls, and left at least 95 others seriously injured.

The event featured remarks from Iranian Ambassador to Nicaragua Ramin Zare and Marlon Leonel Díaz Zúniga, Vice President of UNAN-Managua. Díaz Zúniga expressed solidarity with the families of the victims, emphasizing that the loss should not be reduced to statistics. He highlighted Nicaragua’s own historical experience with violations of national sovereignty and the shared understanding of the pain caused by conflict and war.

Ambassador Zare framed the missile strike as part of a broader pattern of illegal US and Israeli actions against Iran’s territorial integrity. He described the attack not only as a human tragedy but as a challenge to international law and humanitarian norms, stating that the assault struck at the core of international institutions responsible for protecting civilian lives. Zare called for accountability under international law instead of retaliatory measures and stressed the importance of upholding the UN Charter and humanitarian statutes to prevent the normalization of such violence.

An exhibition held alongside the commemoration displayed photographs and videos of the students killed in the strike. Earlier this year, Nicaraguan officials in the port city of Corinto had further memorialized the victims by dedicating a street as “Angels of Minab.” Mehdi Nobani, mayor of Bandar Abbas in Iran, announced the naming initiative and noted the ceremony was held at Bandar Abbas Park in Corinto to honor the memory of the students. He described the gesture as part of ongoing cultural and diplomatic cooperation between the sister cities.

The gatherings and memorials reflect growing cultural ties and expressions of solidarity between Nicaragua and Iran amid the context of regional conflict and international tensions involving the United States.