US officials revealed initial assessments by military investigators indicating the potential responsibility of US forces for the deadly attack that targeted a girls' school in the city of Minab, southern Iran. The officials clarified that the investigations are still in their early stages and have not reached definitive conclusions regarding the type of ammunition used or the motives behind targeting a civilian educational facility.
The tragic attack occurred last Saturday, coinciding with the launch of joint US and Israeli military operations against Iranian territory. According to statements by Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, the bombing resulted in the martyrdom of 150 female students, sparking a widespread international outcry over the level of civilian casualties on the first day of the aggression.
For his part, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth acknowledged the opening of an official investigation into the incident, confirming during a press conference that the US military is reviewing all details related to the strike. Hegseth stressed that his country's military policy does not include civilians among its targets, but a review of the field facts has become an urgent necessity after reports from southern Iran.
In a related context, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States cannot deliberately target a school, noting that the Department of Defense will be responsible for the full investigation. Rubio added that the investigation's results will determine the next steps if US forces are proven to be involved in carrying out this air strike, described as the deadliest.
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) referred all inquiries related to the incident to the Central Command of the Army, which preferred to remain temporarily silent. The command's spokesman, Timothy Hawkins, said that commenting on the details of the attack would be inappropriate at this time to ensure the integrity and progress of the ongoing military investigations.
At the White House, spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt avoided direct comment on the initial investigation results, merely accusing the Iranian regime of targeting its own people. Leavitt said in a press statement that the Department of Defense is following the matter, but considered that the moral responsibility lies with Tehran to protect civilians during armed conflicts.
Informed sources indicated that the current assessment linking US forces to the attack may change with the emergence of new technical evidence from the bombing site. The sources explained that there are existing possibilities for data to emerge that could exonerate Washington or point to other parties involved in the intense air operations witnessed in the southern region on Saturday.
Regarding military coordination, a senior Israeli official revealed that US and Israeli forces are operating according to a precise geographical target distribution plan within Iran. According to this coordination, Israel is responsible for striking missile platforms in the western sector, while US attacks are concentrated on naval and missile targets in the southern regions, where the targeted school is located.
Internationally, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights intervened in the crisis, demanding a transparent and independent investigation into the massacre. The Commissioner's spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani, said that the responsibility for investigation and accountability legally rests with the forces that carried out the attack, without naming a specific party pending clarification of the facts.
Iranian state television broadcast emotional scenes of the students' funerals, where hundreds of small coffins draped in the national flag appeared amidst massive crowds of citizens. A state of overwhelming popular anger prevailed in Minab and other Iranian cities, with calls for accountability for those responsible for targeting educational facilities.
Legal experts warn that if Washington's involvement in this attack is proven, it could constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits targeting schools and hospitals. If the responsibility of US forces is confirmed, this incident will be classified as one of the deadliest military operations against civilians in the history of US interventions in the Middle East.
We have opened an investigation into this matter; we never target civilian objectives, but we are reviewing what happened and conducting an investigation into it.
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US military investigations suggest Washington's responsibility for the girls' school massacre in Iran