President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that it may be impossible to reach a definitive conclusion about who was responsible for a deadly strike on a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, on February 28 - the first day of the Iran war - a strike that Iranian officials say killed scores of children and teachers.
Trump said investigators might never resolve the question of responsibility, telling reporters: "I don’t know that they are ever going to solve that problem. I don’t know that they are ever going to solve that problem in terms of whose fault was it because there were missiles flying all over the place, and it’s horrible what happened but there were missiles flying all over the place."
In March, an initial internal U.S. military investigation was reported to have found that U.S. forces were likely responsible for the strike in Minab. The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but has not publicly acknowledged any preliminary findings.
Trump added: "Somebody said it was our missile, maybe it wasn’t our missile but I have seen nothing to lead me to believe it was," and said plainly: "I don’t think it was us."
Iranian officials say the February 28 strike, which occurred on the day U.S. and Israeli forces attacked Iran, killed more than 175 children and teachers. Sources familiar with the matter told reporters in March that the strike may have been the result of U.S. use of outdated targeting data. The available reporting noted that deliberately attacking a school would likely constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.
U.S. officials have stated publicly that Washington would not deliberately target a school. The strike prompted international condemnation; the U.N. human rights office described the incident as "absolutely horrific."
Earlier, President Trump had publicly blamed Iran for the strike without presenting evidence. He has since said he does not yet know enough about the incident, that an investigation is ongoing, and that he will accept the inquiry’s findings. He has also stated that "nobody" intentionally attacked the school.
Context and current status
The probe into the Minab strike has been elevated within the Pentagon, but officials have not confirmed or released preliminary results. Questions remain about the source of targeting data and the sequence of events on February 28 when multiple missiles were reported in the area.
Given the claims and counterclaims, as well as the heightened attention from international bodies, the investigation and its conclusions are likely to be watched closely by governments and human rights organizations.