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Photos show what remains of an Iranian school where some 120 children died in a U.S. strike

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Photos show what remains of an Iranian school where some 120 children died in a U.S. strike
News

News

Photos show what remains of an Iranian school where some 120 children died in a U.S. strike

2026-09-09 14:10 Last Updated At:14:21

MINAB, Iran (AP) — Families gather at the shattered remains of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, Iran, to grieve and remember some 120 children killed by a U.S. airstrike on the war’s first day. A final accounting of the attack has not been made.

A small empty chair stands in a dim hallway at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit by a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A small empty chair stands in a dim hallway at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit by a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman cleans the grave of a child killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school in a section of Minab's cemetery set aside for those killed at the school in southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman cleans the grave of a child killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school in a section of Minab's cemetery set aside for those killed at the school in southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Classroom desks and chairs sit amid rubble at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Classroom desks and chairs sit amid rubble at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer searches through the rubble of Shajareh Tayyebeh school, shattered by a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer searches through the rubble of Shajareh Tayyebeh school, shattered by a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Women visit a section of Minab's cemetery that was set aside for those killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Women visit a section of Minab's cemetery that was set aside for those killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People look at the rubble at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school where portraits are displayed of the children and teachers killed by a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People look at the rubble at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school where portraits are displayed of the children and teachers killed by a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Chunks of concrete hang from exposed reinforcing bars at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Chunks of concrete hang from exposed reinforcing bars at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A tree-shaped decoration remains on the wall of a rubble-strewn classroom at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A tree-shaped decoration remains on the wall of a rubble-strewn classroom at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer shows a child's drawing stencil recovered as volunteers search the rubble of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit on Feb. 28 by a U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer shows a child's drawing stencil recovered as volunteers search the rubble of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit on Feb. 28 by a U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Fatemeh Barani, second from right, mourns at the grave of her daughter, Nasim Neyestani, a second-grade teacher killed in a U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school on Feb. 28, in a section of a cemetery set aside for those killed at the school in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Fatemeh Barani, second from right, mourns at the grave of her daughter, Nasim Neyestani, a second-grade teacher killed in a U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school on Feb. 28, in a section of a cemetery set aside for those killed at the school in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Desks remain inside the exposed ruins of a classroom at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Desks remain inside the exposed ruins of a classroom at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A cleric takes a photograph at the shattered Shajareh Tayyebeh school, which has become a place of mourning and a memorial to those killed in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A cleric takes a photograph at the shattered Shajareh Tayyebeh school, which has become a place of mourning and a memorial to those killed in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer holds a child's notebook recovered from the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit on Feb. 28 by a U.S. airstrike, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer holds a child's notebook recovered from the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit on Feb. 28 by a U.S. airstrike, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Colorful tree and flower decorations remain on the walls of a rubble-strewn classroom at Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Colorful tree and flower decorations remain on the walls of a rubble-strewn classroom at Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

More Images
A small empty chair stands in a dim hallway at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit by a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A small empty chair stands in a dim hallway at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit by a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman cleans the grave of a child killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school in a section of Minab's cemetery set aside for those killed at the school in southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman cleans the grave of a child killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school in a section of Minab's cemetery set aside for those killed at the school in southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Classroom desks and chairs sit amid rubble at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Classroom desks and chairs sit amid rubble at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer searches through the rubble of Shajareh Tayyebeh school, shattered by a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer searches through the rubble of Shajareh Tayyebeh school, shattered by a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Women visit a section of Minab's cemetery that was set aside for those killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Women visit a section of Minab's cemetery that was set aside for those killed in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People look at the rubble at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school where portraits are displayed of the children and teachers killed by a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People look at the rubble at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school where portraits are displayed of the children and teachers killed by a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Chunks of concrete hang from exposed reinforcing bars at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Chunks of concrete hang from exposed reinforcing bars at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A tree-shaped decoration remains on the wall of a rubble-strewn classroom at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A tree-shaped decoration remains on the wall of a rubble-strewn classroom at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer shows a child's drawing stencil recovered as volunteers search the rubble of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit on Feb. 28 by a U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer shows a child's drawing stencil recovered as volunteers search the rubble of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit on Feb. 28 by a U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Fatemeh Barani, second from right, mourns at the grave of her daughter, Nasim Neyestani, a second-grade teacher killed in a U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school on Feb. 28, in a section of a cemetery set aside for those killed at the school in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Fatemeh Barani, second from right, mourns at the grave of her daughter, Nasim Neyestani, a second-grade teacher killed in a U.S. airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh school on Feb. 28, in a section of a cemetery set aside for those killed at the school in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Desks remain inside the exposed ruins of a classroom at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Desks remain inside the exposed ruins of a classroom at the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a Feb. 28 U.S. airstrike in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A cleric takes a photograph at the shattered Shajareh Tayyebeh school, which has become a place of mourning and a memorial to those killed in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A cleric takes a photograph at the shattered Shajareh Tayyebeh school, which has become a place of mourning and a memorial to those killed in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer holds a child's notebook recovered from the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit on Feb. 28 by a U.S. airstrike, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A volunteer holds a child's notebook recovered from the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, hit on Feb. 28 by a U.S. airstrike, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Colorful tree and flower decorations remain on the walls of a rubble-strewn classroom at Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Colorful tree and flower decorations remain on the walls of a rubble-strewn classroom at Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norway is bidding its final farewell to King Harald V on Wednesday with a funeral attended by royalty and leaders from across Europe and beyond, who will pay tribute to the popular monarch's 35-year reign.

Harald, who died on Aug. 28 aged 89, was Europe’s oldest monarch. He had modernized the royal house, but refused to follow in the footsteps of other aging monarchs who have abdicated in recent times. His son immediately became King Haakon VIII and last week pledged an oath of allegiance to Norway's constitution in parliament.

During the ceremony, the coffin will be taken from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral in a procession, followed by Haakon, other senior Norwegian royals, foreign guests and representatives of Norway’s parliament and others.

As the preparations for the funeral got underway on Wednesday, Norwegian soldiers, flag-bearers and a marching band paraded to a drumbeat and the clacking of horseshoes along a wide Oslo boulevard lined with national flags to take up formation.

Some troops were arrayed outside the palace, where well-wishers have laid a wall of flowers in tribute to the late king.

People were tuning in from across the country: Scores of churches, libraries, cultural centers and city halls were making big screens available for the public to watch the funeral, public broadcaster NRK reported.

Large crowds flocked to the capital for the funeral. The downtown area was closed to vehicles and electric scooters, and police have instructed people not to bring bicycles, umbrellas or sharp objects.

Ahead of the funeral, Norwegians waited patiently to file past Harald's coffin as it lay in state in the chapel of the royal palace. The queue was seven hours long at one point over the weekend. Over 46,000 people visited the chapel during the week.

Among the guests expected on Wednesday were the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Jordan. The heir to the British throne, Prince William, is also expected, as is Crown Prince Akishino of Japan. Presidents from a range of European countries will join them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also on hand. On Tuesday, he met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo to discuss the war in Ukraine. The United States will be represented by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker.

A minute's silence will be held across Norway at the start of the funeral ceremony. Eulogies will be delivered by Norway's parliament speaker and prime minister, and there will be a candle-lighting ceremony with representatives of different faiths.

The government says it's not an official holiday, but schools and workplaces could individually opt to let students and employees tune in for Wednesday's events, advising that “noisy events should be suspended while the funeral is ongoing.”

After the funeral, Harald's coffin will be taken in a procession to the palace chapel at Akershus Castle, where the late king's ancestors are buried. After a private ceremony for the Norwegian royals, who will be joined by some of the foreign guests and senior Norwegian officials, it will be lowered into the crypt.

Norway’s monarchy traces its origins to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. When Norway regained its independence from Sweden in 1905, three-quarters of voters in a national plebiscite approved restoring the monarchy.

The Norwegian royal house has kinfolk in other European royal families. Harald and Haakon are related to both Britain’s King Charles III and Spain’s King Felipe VI: They’re all descendants of Queen Victoria in the UK.

Today, the throne's role is largely symbolic and power lies with the elected government and parliament, but the Norwegian royal family retains a role in promoting the wealthy Scandinavian nation around the world.

Sweden's King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia on board a bus at Oslo Airport as they arrive for King Harald V funeral, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Sweden's King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia on board a bus at Oslo Airport as they arrive for King Harald V funeral, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Soldiers march up Karl Johan before the coffin of King Harald V is carried from the Palace to Oslo Cathedral, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Soldiers march up Karl Johan before the coffin of King Harald V is carried from the Palace to Oslo Cathedral, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Members of the public wait behind a barrier along the route of the procession for the funeral of Norway's King Harald V near Oslo Cathedral in Oslo, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Members of the public wait behind a barrier along the route of the procession for the funeral of Norway's King Harald V near Oslo Cathedral in Oslo, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Police officers reflected in a window with a display showing Norway's late King Harald V prior to his funeral in Oslo, Norway, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Police officers reflected in a window with a display showing Norway's late King Harald V prior to his funeral in Oslo, Norway, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Norway's King Harald V's coffin is moved by King Harald's family and court staff from the Red Salon to the Palace Chapel in Oslo, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Javad Parsa/Pool Photo via AP)

Norway's King Harald V's coffin is moved by King Harald's family and court staff from the Red Salon to the Palace Chapel in Oslo, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Javad Parsa/Pool Photo via AP)

A painting of Norway's late King Harald stand in flora tributes at the Palace Square in Oslo, Norway, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A painting of Norway's late King Harald stand in flora tributes at the Palace Square in Oslo, Norway, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is transported after arriving in Oslo, Norway, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, one day ahead of King Harald V's funeral. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is transported after arriving in Oslo, Norway, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, one day ahead of King Harald V's funeral. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB Scanpix via AP)

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