Bombing of girls’ school in Iran that killed more than 150 was probably US air strike, military investigators believe
U.S. military investigators reportedly believe American forces were likely responsible for a strike on an Iranian school in Minab, in what analysts and human rights officials believe is the deadliest incident for civilian casualties since Donald Trump’s administration and Israeli forces began attacking the country.
Neither U.S. nor Israeli officials have publicly taken responsibility for the strike, which killed 150 students, according to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. The total death toll, which has reportedly exceeded 175 people, has not been independently confirmed.
Citing two U.S. officials, Reuters reported that military investigators have not yet reached a conclusion in an investigation but believe evidence shows the U.S. is responsible for the attack; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the White House have confirmed that the Pentagon is investigating.
Evidence from data analysts reviewing satellite imagery, video footage and social media appears to show the school was hit by a precision strike and may have been hit more than once. Maps from the Department of Defense also appear to show two Iranian air defense targets surrounding the school’s location, which is within what the Pentagon describes as a “U.S./Israeli strikes” zone.
Outside military analysts also have suggested that the Pentagon’s AI-driven targeting — or human error that failed to check whether target maps were up to date — may have played a role in the strikes.
Asked whether the deaths were the result of a U.S. strike, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday “not that we know of.”
“The United States of America does not target civilians, unlike the rogue Iranian regime that targets civilians, that kills children … and uses propaganda quite effectively,” she added. “And unfortunately, many people in this room have fallen for that propaganda.”
On Monday, in his first briefing after the beginning of the campaign, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth bluntly stated there would be “no stupid rules of engagement,” “no politically correct wars,” and “no nation-building quagmire” as the U.S. and Israel continue attacks in Iran.
Hegseth told reporters Wednesday that the Pentagon is “taking a look and investigating” the school strike.
“All I know – all I can say is that we’re investigating that,” he said. “We, of course, never target civilian targets, but we’re taking a look and investigating that.”
It remains unclear what evidence the Pentagon is reviewing, what types of munitions were used, and why the school would have been a target.
The Pentagon referred The Independent’s requests for comment to U.S. Central Command.
“It would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation,” a CENTCOM official said in a statement to The Independent.
The Shajarah Tayyiba elementary school for girls is in the city of Minab, roughly 600 miles from Tehran and near the Strait of Hormuz.
