US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for an apparent attack on an Iranian girls’ school in the southern Iranian city of Minab that killed dozens of children, two US officials told Reuters.
However, they said investigators have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation.
Read also | Dubai, Abu Dhabi, UAE News: UAE responds to missile threat amid Iran tensions
Reuters was unable to learn more details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the preliminary assessment, what type of ammunition was used, who was responsible or why the United States might have hit the school.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth admitted on Wednesday that the US military is investigating the incident.
Read also | Gold rate jumps on MCX amid dollar weakness; the focus remains on the US-Iran war
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, did not rule out the possibility that new evidence could emerge that exonerates the US and points to another party responsible for the incident.
Reuters could not say how long the investigation would take or what evidence US investigators are looking for before the assessment can be completed.
Bombing of an Iranian girls’ school
A girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, was hit on Saturday, February 28 — during the first day of US and Israeli attacks on the country.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said 150 students were killed in the attack. However, Al Jazeera reported around 160 dead. Reuters could not independently confirm the death toll.
Read also | Dubai, Abu Dhabi News LIVE: Gulf countries ‘frustrated’ with US over lack of warning
The Pentagon referred questions from Reuters to US Army Central Command, whose spokesman, Capt. Timothy Hawkins, said: “It would not be appropriate to comment because the incident is under investigation.
The White House did not comment directly on the investigation, but press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Reuters: “While the War Department is currently investigating this matter, the Iranian regime is targeting civilians and children, not the United States.”
Read also | Shock and Awe 2.0: Is China Beating the Retreat from Global Geopolitics?
Asked about the incident during a news briefing Wednesday, Hegseth said, “We’re investigating. Obviously we never target civilians. But we’re looking into it and we’re investigating.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that the United States will not deliberately target the school.
“The War Department would be investigating if it was our strike, and I would pass your question on to them,” Rubio said.
Until now, Israeli and US forces have divided their strikes in Iran both geographically and by target type, a senior Israeli official and a source with direct knowledge of the joint planning told Reuters.
While Israel attacked missile launch sites in western Iran, the United States attacked such targets, as well as naval targets, in the south.
Read also | US House Supports ‘War’ on Iran; Democrats Say ‘Trump Is Not King’
The UN human rights office, without saying who it said was responsible for the strike at the school, called for an investigation on Tuesday.
“The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate,” UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a news conference in Geneva.
Footage from the girls’ funeral on Tuesday was shown on Iranian state television. Their small coffins were draped with Iranian flags and rolled from the truck through the large crowd towards the grave.
Read also | Its missile threat has decreased, with Iran firing fewer missiles at more targets
A deliberate attack on a school, hospital or any other civilian structure would likely be a war crime under international humanitarian law.
If the U.S. role is confirmed, the attack would rank among the worst civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East.
(With inputs from Reuters)
