Iran Takes A Page Out Of Hamas’s Playbook

Iran’s foreign ministry staged a televised press briefing Tuesday from inside a classroom in Tehran that state-linked media said had been damaged during recent strikes, a move that has intensified scrutiny over the possible use of civilian locations during the escalating conflict.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei addressed reporters from a podium inside Mahalati School in the Iranian capital. Photographs and broadcast footage showed desks and classroom fixtures behind him as he spoke, while Iranian outlets framed the setting as evidence that educational institutions had been targeted in the ongoing military campaign.

The choice of location, however, quickly sparked debate online. Critics and observers raised questions about whether some Iranian officials and security personnel may be deliberately operating from civilian sites, including schools and hospitals, as the conflict continues to intensify.

The first known human shield mass-casualty case in this war.

So far, 45 students and teachers have been pulled from the rubble after an IRGC ammunition depot and barracks were built beside a school in Shahrak al-Mahdi, Minab in Hormozgan.

For years, the international community… pic.twitter.com/aQ22Y3xKuo

— The Iran Watcher 🇮🇷 (@TheIranWatcher) February 28, 2026

In recent days, social media posts have circulated videos and images that appear to show security forces stationed inside school buildings in cities such as Tehran and Shiraz. While the authenticity and timing of some of the footage remain difficult to independently verify, the images have fueled concerns among educators and activists.

Iran International also reported allegations of military activity inside medical facilities. In one instance, a hospital employee reportedly told the outlet that military commanders had held meetings inside a hospital in Tehran.

Teachers’ organizations inside Iran have expressed alarm over these developments. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations released an image shortly before U.S.–Israeli strikes began that it said showed military equipment positioned inside a school building. The group warned that classrooms were being transformed into “shields for deadly equipment,” a phrase that has since circulated widely across social media and political commentary.

Additional speculation arose earlier this week after a photograph emerged showing a meeting of Iran’s interim leadership council. The gathering included President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and cleric Alireza Arafi. Hours after the image appeared online, social media users suggested the meeting may have taken place inside a ward at Tehran’s Arman Hospital.

Under international humanitarian law, warring parties are required to distinguish between civilians and combatants, as well as between civilian objects and military targets. Facilities such as schools and hospitals are generally protected from attack unless they are being used for military purposes. The use of civilian sites to shield military assets is also prohibited under the laws of armed conflict.

The controversy surrounding civilian sites intensified following reports of a deadly strike in Minab, a city in Iran’s Hormozgan province. Iranian media claimed an elementary and preschool complex located near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps compound was struck on February 28, resulting in more than 160 deaths.

U.S. officials have disputed suggestions that civilian institutions were deliberately targeted. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had no interest in striking schools and emphasized that U.S. operations were focused on missile infrastructure, drone capabilities, and related military assets.

“We would have no interest and frankly no incentive to target civilian infrastructure,” Rubio said.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also addressed the incident, saying that conflicting reports had emerged regarding the Minab strike. Some accounts suggested the possibility that Iranian Revolutionary Guard activity may have played a role in the event.

Danon reiterated that Israel’s operations are intended to focus on military objectives while expressing regret for civilian casualties.

“We regret the loss of life of any civilian,” he said. “But we have the intelligence and we target military assets.”