Trump Blames Iran for School Massacre Amid Mounting Evidence of US Strike

When asked aboard Air Force One if the United States had bombed the school in Minab on the first day of the war, the president dismissed the possibility, stating, "In my opinion, based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran." Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth, present during the exchange, refused to corroborate the claim, noting only that the military is investigating. US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz similarly avoided backing the president, citing the need for a formal inquiry while emphasizing that the US military strives to avoid civilian casualties.

Independent verification of the February 28 attack suggests otherwise. Analysts at Bellingcat and the New York Times identified the weapon used in the strike as a Tomahawk cruise missile—a munition held by the US Navy but not by Iranian or Israeli forces. Footage shows smoke rising from the elementary school shortly before a secondary strike hit a nearby military facility, supporting a timeline where the school was targeted during the initial US-Israeli barrage. A group of six Democratic senators condemned the reports, warning that if confirmed, the incident would represent one of the most severe cases of civilian loss in decades of American Middle Eastern operations.