Melania Trump called out for chairing UN meeting on children in conflict

The US First Lady has come under fire for chairing a UN Security Council meeting centred on children and education in conflict, while her husband's airstrikes continue obliterating areas across the Middle East, including an Iranian school.

According to the BBC, 151 young students were killed in an all-girls elementary school in Iran's Minab city over the weekend, after Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launched a 'massive' attack on the country's totalitarian leadership.

US-Israeli missiles were first fired in Iran's direction on Saturday (28 February), allegedly in response to the Islamic Republic's oppression against its own people.

In a Truth Social statement shared the following day, Trump, 79, urged the country's citizens to continue to rise up against the current regime following initial protests that broke out earlier this year, which themselves were met with swift and severe punishment from Iranian leaders.

The US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on Saturday (Mahsa / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

"When we are finished, take over your government," he wrote. "It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations."

The American president also attributed the attack - which killed the nation's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - to the intended destruction of Iran's nuclear programme.

The country's new leaders quickly responded by firing missiles of their own at Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. Further US-Israeli strikes have also been reported across wider areas of the Middle East.

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's president, formally blamed both the US and Israel for the destruction of the girls' school, slamming it as a 'barbaric act', and 'another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors'.

Melania's 'peace' meeting

Trump also urged Iranian leaders to lay down their arms to prevent further war (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

As the death toll in the region steadily rises, however, the United Nations and Republican administration seemingly deemed it appropriate to have Trump's wife, Melania Trump, preside over a meeting titled 'Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict'.

The political get-together took place in New York on Monday (2 Mar) - hours after Iran insisted it 'will not negotiate with the US', and its leaders claimed any military response enacted going forward would be done in 'self-defence'.

The First Lady, 55, became the first spouse of a world leader to chair the meeting of 15 Security Council members, who are supposedly appointed to ensure international peace and security.

As reported by CNBC, Melania kicked off discussions by pounding her gavel and insisting: "The US stands with all of the children throughout the world. I hope soon peace will be yours.

Melania became the first spouse of a world leader to chair the UN meeting (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images)

"Enduring peace will be achieved when knowledge and understanding are fully valued within all our societies. Societies ruled by knowledge and wisdom are therefore more peaceful."

Without mentioning the school in Minab city, Melania went on to express her condolences to any families that lost loved ones in service. In doing so, she also failed to reference any specific military crisis.

"Their bravery and dedication will always be remembered," the mother-of-one, who shares 19-year-old son Barron with the Republican leader, continued. "I extend my earnest wishes for a swift and smooth recovery to all those who have been injured.

"You are in my thoughts and prayers during these challenging times."

'Shameful and hypocritical'

Melania's position at the meeting sparked widespread backlash (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

The bizarre series of events has since been slammed by hordes of online critics, who pointed out the glaring contradiction in appointing Melania to chair a meeting centred on peace while her husband continues dropping bombs across the Middle East.

Amongst them was Amir Saeid Iravani, who currently serves as Iran's ambassador to the United Nations.

Prior to the meeting, he hit out: "It is deeply shameful and hypocritical that on the very first day of its presidency of the Security Council, the United States convened a high-level meeting on protecting children."

Sharing footage from the meeting online, another X user questioned: "What. The. F**k. Is. Happening?"

Another hit out: "What a joke. Again we are the laughing stock of the world. Just when you think we hit bottom we hit a new low."

Further US-Israeli strikes have been reported across other areas of the Middle East (Mowj / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

"Melania Trump is chairing a UN Security Council meeting. I'm not joking," a third noted. "The US currently holds the presidency of the council and that's who Trump chose as chair."

A fourth went on to jibe: "In the latest example of how we're governed by the Make a Wish Administration, Melania Trump is presiding over a UN meeting."

Tyla has contacted the White House for comment.