Iran's delegation for the US-Iran talks in Zurich has been named 'Minab 168,' a reference to 168 students from the Shajara Taybeh school in the city of Minab who died in a strike early in the war, per a security analyst on X. The analyst reports that Tehran attributes the strike to the US, but evidence suggests an Iranian missile hit the school.
Iran's delegation to the US-Iran talks in Zurich has been dubbed 'Minab 168,' a stark reference to the 168 students from the Shajara Taybeh school in the southern city of Minab who were killed in a strike early in the war. Security analyst Yair Goldblatt reported on X that Tehran attributes the attack to the US, but his analysis suggests the school was hit by a misfired Iranian missile. The delegation name emerged just before the delegation landed in Switzerland, as The Zioneer reported at 16:11 Jerusalem on Saturday.
The delegation—led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi—arrived in Zurich on Saturday evening, after days of uncertainty about Tehran's participation. The Zioneer had reported that Vice President JD Vance departed for Switzerland earlier that day, reversing a White House cancellation on Friday, and that the talks would focus on the nuclear issue and a possible Lebanon ceasefire. The 'Minab 168' designation is not an official code name from Iran's Supreme National Security Council, but was chosen for the delegation itself, framing the talks with a narrative of US culpability for a tragedy Tehran itself is suspected of causing.
As The Zioneer reported on Saturday at 18:40 Jerusalem, Iran's delegation spokesperson Esmail Baqaei stated the trip aims to 'follow up on commitments,' and warned of the other party's past breaches. The talks are set to take place at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland, with the participation of Qatar and Pakistan as mediators, and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, according to earlier reports from The Zioneer.
The precise origin of the 'Minab 168' name—whether authorized at the highest levels of the Iranian leadership or a symbolic gesture by the delegation—remains unconfirmed. The analyst's claim about the school strike's cause is based on his own assessment, not on official Iranian or US statements.
9 developments
- DevelopingIran names full delegation for Friday talks in Switzerland with Vance leading US team
- StrongIran confirms it will attend Switzerland talks, demands US enforce halt to Israeli Lebanon strikes
- DevelopingSwiss ministry: delegations from Iran, US, Qatar, Pakistan to meet Friday at Bürgenstock for preliminary talks on deal implementation
- StrongIran names parliament speaker Qalibaf to lead delegation for Friday MOU signing in Switzerland
Source and signal
- Internal intake