Iran on Friday congratulated White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt on the birth of her daughter Viviana, but also reminded her of the Minab school strike, saying the children killed in the attack were no different from her own child. The message urged Leavitt to think of the mothers of these children every time she kisses her child.
Her second child was born May 1, according to Leavitt’s announcement Thursday.
“I congratulate you. Children are innocent and sweet. The 168 children your boss killed in the Minab school and you justified them were also children. When you kiss your child, think of the mothers of these children,” the Iranian embassy in Armenia said on X.
Donald Trump’s spokeswoman, known for her scathing criticism of reporters, shared a photo from her nursery holding her newborn daughter close. Leavitt said she will begin maternity leave on April 24.
However, her last appearance in the White House briefing room came on April 28 after a gunman tried to force his way into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
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“Viviana aka ‘Vivi’ joined our family on May 1 and our hearts immediately exploded with love,” Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary in history, told X, adding, “She is perfect and healthy and her big brother is happily adjusting to life with his new baby sister. We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble.”
Leavitt thanked everyone who sent prayers and support during her pregnancy, saying she felt their presence throughout the experience, adding that God was good.
The situation mirrored the birth of her son Nicholas in the summer of 2024, when she resumed work on the Trump campaign just days after the assassination attempt on the then-Republican candidate in Butler.
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The White House has not announced a formal replacement for Leavitt during her vacation, although Marco Rubio took the stage earlier this week and drew favorable reactions to his relaxed and confident debut at the briefing.
Minab school strike in Iran
Iran on Tuesday released detailed information on the victims of an airstrike on a school in Minab, which took place on the opening day of the Middle East conflict, according to state media.
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State broadcaster IRIB and other local sources said 73 boys and 47 girls were killed in the February 28 attack on the primary school.
The attack came on the same day that the United States and Israel launched military operations across Iran. Tehran later responded by targeting sites in Israel and several Gulf countries.
IRIB said in a Telegram post that the victims also included 26 teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver and a pharmaceutical technician who worked at a clinic adjacent to the school.
The revised figures bring the total number of deaths to 155, down from an earlier estimate of more than 175, according to AFP.
According to preliminary findings from a US military investigation cited by The New York Times, the elementary school was hit by a Tomahawk cruise missile after it was mistakenly identified as a target.
Trump initially suggested that Iran may have been responsible for the attack, even though Tehran does not possess Tomahawk missiles.
In a video message to the UN Human Rights Council, Abbas Araghchi described the strike as a “calculated, staged attack”.
Araghchi mentioned that “at a time when the US-Israeli aggressors, according to their own claims, possess the most advanced technology and the most precise military and data systems, no one can believe that the attack on the school was anything other than deliberate and premeditated.”
