A shocking number of children were killed in Iran, and the US military’s internal probe reveals a terrifying possibility
U.S. military investigators believe it’s likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that reportedly killed scores of children this past Saturday, as reported by Reuters. Officials, however, emphasize that the investigation is still ongoing and a conclusion has not yet been reached.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged the U.S. military was investigating the incident. He stated that the U.S. never targets civilian sites, but they are “taking a look and investigating that.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also issued a statement, saying, “While the Department of War is currently investigating this matter, the Iranian regime targets civilians and children, not the United States of America.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed similar sentiments, telling reporters the United States would not deliberately target a school. He referred questions about the incident to the Department of War for investigation.
The girls’ school, located in Minab in southern Iran, was reportedly hit during the first day of coordinated U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country
Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, stated that the strike killed 150 students, though that specific death toll could not be independently confirmed. Investigators have not yet released more details about the ongoing probe. It’s currently unclear what specific evidence contributed to this tentative assessment, what type of munition might have been used, who specifically was responsible for the strike, or why the U.S. might have hit the school.
Officials, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive military matters involved, did not rule out the possibility that new evidence could emerge, potentially absolving the U.S. of responsibility and pointing to another party. The duration of the investigation also remain unknown. A spokesperson for the U.S. military’s Central Command, Captain Timothy Hawkins, stated that it “would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”
The U.S. and Israeli forces have been conducting attacks in Iran with a divided strategy, both geographically and by target type. A senior Israeli official and a source with direct knowledge of the joint planning confirmed that Israel was focusing on striking missile launch sites in western Iran. Meanwhile, the United States was reportedly attacking similar targets, as well as naval ones, in the southern region.
If a U.S. role in the strike were to be confirmed, it would be a significant and incredibly serious development. Deliberately attacking a school, hospital, or any other civilian structure would likely constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law. Such an incident would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East.
The U.N. Human Rights Office has called for an investigation into the strike. U.N. human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani stated that “the onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it.” Adding to the profound gravity of the situation, Iranian state television showed images of the girls’ funeral on Tuesday. These images depicted small coffins, draped with Iranian flags, being passed from a truck across a large crowd towards the grave site.
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