Tehran [Iran], May 21 (ANI): Iran's Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected US Central Command's assertion that the school hit in February missile strikes in Minab was part of a missile launch facility, calling the claim a 'baseless fabrication' aimed at concealing what it described as the killing of more than 170 school children and teachers.

In a post on X, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei slammed the US claims as baseless fabrication and called it an 'appalling lie'.

'This shameless distortion is a clear attempt to obscure the severe reality of the 28 February missile attacks, which resulted in the tragic slaughtering of over 170 school children and their teachers', he said.

He added, 'Targeting an active educational institution during school hours constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and is a clear war crime. The civilian nature of the site cannot be obscured by technical misrepresentations.'

The Iranian spokesperson decried that the US authorities and military commanders responsible for ordering and executing the 'catastrophic assault' must be held fully accountable under international law.

https://x.com/IRIMFA_SPOX/status/2056843697623302327?s=20

AA reported that Baghaei's remarks came after Adm Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, told a House committee hearing that the school was located near an active IRGC (Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) cruise missile base, thus making the incident 'more complex than the average strike,' and pledged transparency once the investigation concludes.

Meanwhile, IRIB reported earlier on Thursday that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that during the 40 days of war, no one at the Foreign Ministry or Iranian embassies resigned.

'Despite intense efforts to make this happen, I am proud that we did not have a single case of abandonment in our diplomatic missions', he said.

As the situation continues to evolve in the region, the US has submitted a new ceasefire proposal through Pakistan to bring the West Asia conflict to a permanent end, Al Arabiya reported, quoting diplomatic sources aware of the matter.

Iran is reviewing the proposal but has not issued an official response to the proposal as the mediators push to narrow the differences between the American and Iranian proposals.

As the negotiations continue, Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir has planned a visit to Iran. However, this plan hangs by a thread and will only proceed if Iran comes to terms with the new proposal, Al Arabiya reported.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that Iran is pursuing negotiations with the United States 'in good faith' even as it continues to view the US with 'deep suspicion'.

Iran's state media PressTV reported that Baghaei has received the US response to Iran's 14-point proposal and is examining it, adding that the visit of Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi to Tehran is meant to support and facilitate these exchanges between the two sides.

'At this stage, we are focused on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,' Baghaei said, underlining Tehran's current priority in the negotiations, as reported by Press TV

The Iranian spokesperson also said Iran's key demands include the release of frozen assets, an end to what it called 'maritime piracy,' and a halt to actions targeting Iranian shipping. (ANI)