Preliminary US findings suggest American forces likely responsible for Iran girls’ school strike that killed 150

A preliminary US military investigation indicates there is a “high likelihood” that American forces were responsible for an apparent strike on a girls’ primary school in Minab, southern Iran, that Iran’s UN envoy said killed 150 students, Reuters reported, citing two senior US officials.

The officials stressed that the investigation has not reached a final conclusion and the formal process is not yet complete. Reuters said it was unable to determine further details, including what evidence informed the tentative assessment, what munition was used, or why the school was hit.

What is known so far

The girls’ school in Minab was hit on Saturday, the first day of US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said 150 students were killed, a toll Reuters could not independently confirm.

Reuters previously reported that the strike happened around the time US forces were attacking nearby targets, raising the possibility that the school was hit during wider operations in the area.

Pentagon and White House responses

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged the military was investigating the incident. Asked about it during a briefing, he said: “We’re investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we’re taking a look and investigating that.”

The Pentagon referred Reuters’ questions to US Central Command, whose spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins said: “It would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”

The White House did not directly comment on the investigation, but press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Reuters: “While the Department of War is currently investigating this matter, the Iranian regime targets civilians and children, not the United States of America.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier that US forces “would not deliberately target a school.”

International calls for an investigation

Reuters reported that the UN human rights office called for an investigation, saying responsibility rests with those who carried out the attack.

Under international humanitarian law, deliberately attacking a school, hospital, or other civilian structure would likely constitute a war crime, Reuters noted.