The US president’s assertion contradicts investigations by Western media pointing to likely American responsibility
President Donald Trump has denied US responsibility for the strike on an Iranian school that killed 175 people, most of them children, suggesting instead that a faulty Iranian missile was to blame.
His remarks contradict investigations by AP, CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, which concluded – based on satellite imagery and other visual evidence – that the US likely destroyed a girls’ elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab during a February 28 bombardment of nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sites.
Asked on Saturday whether the US was responsible for the strike on the school, Trump said, “In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.”
A reporter then asked US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, “Is that true … it was Iran that did that?” Hegseth said, “We’re investigating it,” adding that “the only side that targets civilians is Iran.”
Trump interjected, saying, “We think it was done by Iran, because they’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever.”
On Thursday, Reuters cited two US officials saying that American military investigators believe US forces were likely responsible for the strike on the school in Minab. The outlet noted that no final conclusions have been reached, as the investigation is ongoing.
The destruction of the school remains the deadliest single strike in the US‑Israeli war on Iran that was launched on February 28.
The United Nations condemned the attack as “a grave assault on children, on education, and on the future of an entire community,” stressing that “civilians must never be treated as collateral.”
