Camilla Jessen
Trump denies US responsible for deadly strike on Iranian girls’ school.
President Donald Trump has denied that the United States was responsible for a strike that hit a girls’ elementary school in Iran, killing 175 people, including more than 151 children, according to reports.
The strike occurred on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iranian targets.
The operation targeted military sites in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah, with the attacks ultimately killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
During the first day of the strikes, a girls’ elementary school in the city of Minab was hit by drones. According to the BBC, the blast killed 175 people inside the building, including 151 children aged between seven and 12.
Iran blames U.S. and Israel
Iranian officials blamed both the United States and Israel for the attack.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said the bombing would “never be erased from the historical memory of our nation,” while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the strike as a “crime.”
Iran retaliated by launching missiles toward U.S. military positions and allied locations across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Cyprus.
According to The New York Times, satellite imagery and social media analysis suggest the school may have been collateral damage from a missile strike targeting nearby buildings.
Those buildings reportedly included a naval base operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Pentagon later confirmed that an IRGC facility was located near the school.
Trump rejects responsibility
When asked about the incident while exiting Air Force One on March 8, Trump rejected claims that U.S. forces were responsible.
“No, in my opinion and based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” Trump told reporters.
He suggested the strike could have been caused by Iranian munitions that went off target.
“They’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions,” Trump said. “They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the situation is still under investigation.
“We’re certainly investigating,” he said. “But the only side that targets civilians is Iran.”
Officials have not yet released a definitive conclusion about how the school was struck.
Sources: BBC, Politico, The New York Times
