Iran Soccer Team Honors School Bombing Victims in Protest

Iran's men's national soccer team staged a symbolic protest on Friday by wearing black armbands and holding children's schoolbags to their chests during the national anthem before a friendly match against Nigeria in Belek, Turkey. The gesture honored the victims of a school bombing that killed more than 175 people, including numerous children and teachers, on the first day of the ongoing conflict involving joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.

The match served as preparation for this summer's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where Iran's participation remains uncertain amid the escalating tensions that began on February 28. Players lined up with pink and purple backpacks adorned with ribbons, representing the innocence of the young victims from Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab. "The players are holding the school bags close to their heart in remembrance of the 165 girls the Americans killed in an Iranian school," a media official for the Iranian team told Reuters.

Iranian officials have attributed the attack to U.S. and Israeli forces, describing it as one of the most devastating civilian incidents in the early stages of the war. The school, listed in...