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Graves are being prepared for victims after a reported strike on a school in Minab, Iran, on March 2, 2026. — Reuters
– Hegseth confirms that U.S. military investigators are examining the incident.
– Press Secretary Leavitt states Iran continues to target civilians, including children.
– Rubio asserts the U.S. would never intentionally target a school.
U.S. military investigators suspect that U.S. forces might have been responsible for an apparent attack on an Iranian girls’ school that resulted in numerous children’s deaths on Saturday. However, they have not yet reached a definitive conclusion or completed the investigation, according to two U.S. officials speaking to Reuters.
Details about the investigation remain scarce, including what evidence supports the tentative assessment, the type of munitions used, the responsible party, or the possible motives behind the strike.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged this week that the military is looking into the incident. The officials, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of military investigations, indicated that new evidence could potentially exonerate the U.S. and implicate another party.
It’s unclear how much longer the investigation will take or what specific evidence the U.S. investigators are pursuing before issuing a final assessment.
The White House declined to comment directly but issued a statement through Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, emphasizing, “While the Department of War is currently investigating this matter, the Iranian regime targets civilians and children, not the United States of America.”
In a Wednesday briefing, Hegseth remarked, “We are investigating that. We, of course, never intentionally target civilians. But we’re examining the facts.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Monday that the United States would not deliberately target a school. “The Department of War would investigate if that was our strike, and I suggest directing your questions to them,” Rubio said.
Israeli and U.S. forces have so far divided their operations in Iran both geographically and by target type, according to a senior Israeli official and a source familiar with joint planning. Israel has focused on missile launch sites in western Iran, while the U.S. has targeted similar sites and naval facilities in southern Iran.
The UN Human Rights Office has called for an investigation into the strike but has not assigned blame. Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani urged the forces involved to investigate the incident, saying, “The responsibility lies with those who carried out the attack.”
Images from Tuesday showed the funerals of the girls on Iranian state TV. Small coffins, draped in Iranian flags, were carried by truck through a large crowd toward the burial site.
Deliberate attacks on schools, hospitals, or other civilian structures are considered war crimes under international law.
If U.S. involvement is confirmed, the strike could be among the deadliest civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East.
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