US military investigators have tentatively concluded that an apparent strike on a girls' school in Minab, southern Iran, which killed scores of students on Saturday, was likely carried out by US forces, according to two US officials briefed on the matter. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that no final conclusion has been reached and that new evidence could emerge pointing to another responsible party.
The Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, acknowledged on Wednesday that the US military is investigating the incident. He stated, 'We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we’re taking a look and investigating that.' The Pentagon referred questions to Central Command, whose spokesperson, Capt Timothy Hawkins, declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students. Reuters could not independently confirm the death toll. The UN human rights office has called for an investigation, with spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani stating, 'The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it.'
Images of the girls' mass funeral on Tuesday, shown on Iranian state television, depicted small coffins draped with Iranian flags being passed from a truck towards a grave site. Deliberately attacking a school or hospital would likely constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law. If a US role is confirmed, the strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of Middle Eastern conflicts.
