Iran Accused of Using Schools for Military Operations and Shield as Images Circulate Online.
Images circulating on social media appear to show Iranian military personnel and equipment inside a school, sparking debate about whether civilian sites are being used to shield military operations from potential attacks.
The photos, which have been shared thousands of times, show what looks like an Iranian official speaking at a podium inside a classroom. Iranian flags and posters line the walls, with a chalkboard visible in the background. Another image appears to show missile launchers or military vehicles parked in what looks like a schoolyard, with children and adults walking nearby.
A Facebook page called Holyghost Son TV shared the images with a caption accusing Iran of using schools and hospitals as shields.
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“Iran now turns Schools and hospitals into military shields,” the post reads. “This is what the Islamic Republic does and some of you still defend it.”
The post goes on to say that if these sites are targeted, civilians would be killed and the U.S. or Israel would be blamed.
The images have not been independently confirmed by fact-checkers, and it remains unclear when or where they were taken. Some online commentators have suggested the photos could be AI-generated, given how easy it is now to create realistic fake images.
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But recent reporting from inside Iran suggests the broader concern raised by the photos — that military activities are taking place in civilian areas — may have some basis in fact.
On March 2, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson held a televised press conference from inside a Tehran classroom . State-linked media said the school had been damaged in recent strikes and presented the setting as evidence that educational facilities were being targeted.
The same day, social media users circulated videos and photographs that appear to show security forces stationed inside schools in Tehran and Shiraz .
Teachers’ unions have voiced alarm. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations published an image before recent strikes began showing what it said was military equipment inside a school, warning that classrooms were being turned into “shields for deadly equipment” .
Other reports describe military commanders holding meetings inside hospitals. A hospital employee in Tehran told Iran International that IRGC commanders had convened sessions inside the medical facility, accompanied by security teams .
“The presence of these individuals, along with their protection units, has alarmed staff because the meetings had nothing to do with medical matters,” the employee said.
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What International Law Says
Under international humanitarian law, schools and hospitals are protected from attack unless they are used for military purposes . Using civilians to shield military objectives is prohibited.
Hossein Raisi, a human rights lawyer, told Iran International that any party turning a civilian site into a center of military activity during armed conflict could be committing a war crime .
“Transferring military command functions into an active hospital where patients and medical staff are present does not transform that location into a legitimate military target,” Raisi said .
Political analyst Jamshid Barzegar said the reports reflect a pattern seen in Iran’s regional alliances .
“The Islamic Republic has once again brought inside the country a criminal pattern it has tested for years through its proxy forces in the region: militarizing civilian spaces and using civilians as human shields,” he said.
Similar tactics have been reported in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen, where militant groups have been accused of placing military assets in or near schools and hospitals.
The debate intensified after Iranian media reported that a school complex in Minab, Hormozgan province, was struck on February 28, killing more than 160 people . The school was reportedly adjacent to an IRGC compound .
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would not deliberately target a school .
“We would have no interest and frankly no incentive to target civilian infrastructure,” he said .
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said he had seen differing accounts of what happened in Minab, including claims that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards may have been responsible . He said Israel targets military assets and expressed regret for any civilian casualties .
“We regret the loss of life of any civilian,” he said. “And we pray for the people of Iran. But we have the intelligence and we target military assets. That’s what we do. The Iranians, they do exactly the opposite” .
As the conflict continues, any mixing of military and civilian activities could increase risks for densely populated areas . Schools, hospitals and other public spaces that house military operations may become targets, putting ordinary people in danger.
The photos circulating online remain unverified. But the questions they raise — about where wars are fought and who gets caught in the middle — are not going away.
