During a press briefing aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump asserted that the bombing of a girls’ school in southern Iran was carried out by Iranian forces. This statement came in response to inquiries about a missile strike that reportedly killed 175 individuals on the first day of the conflict.
Trump emphasized his belief that the Iranian military is responsible, citing the inaccuracy of their munitions. He stated, “We believe this was done by Iran. Their munitions are very inaccurate, as you know. They have no precision. This was Iran.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth echoed Trump’s sentiments, confirming that an investigation into the incident is ongoing but indicating that evidence points to Iran as the attacker. He remarked, “This was done by Iran. We are certainly investigating. The investigation is still ongoing. But the only side attacking civilians is Iran.”
On February 28, a missile strike hit the school in Minab during school hours, resulting in the deaths of 168 students and 14 teachers.
Investigations by major news outlets like The New York Times, CNN, and the Associated Press, utilizing satellite imagery and social media posts, suggest that the school sustained significant damage from a precision airstrike that coincided with attacks on a nearby naval base operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Reports of the strikes emerged on social media shortly after 11:30 AM local time. Analysis of these posts, along with eyewitness photos and videos taken within an hour of the strikes, supports the claim that the school was struck simultaneously with the military base.
Images showing extensive damage to the school were disseminated by Iranian human rights groups, while videos released by Iranian media and verified by The Times depicted crowds searching through rubble for survivors and victims.
Satellite images from Planet Labs indicate that a series of precision strikes hit at least six IRGC buildings and the adjacent school. Four structures on the naval base were completely destroyed, with two others showing signs of impact on their roofs.
Defense analyst and former Pentagon advisor Wes J. Bryant concluded from his analysis of the images that all targeted locations, including the school, were hit by precision strikes, suggesting the school may have been a “mistakenly identified target.”
On March 4, General Den Kane, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated at a press conference that during the initial 100 hours of operations, U.S. forces targeted sites in southern Iran, including the Minab area. He noted that Israeli forces were primarily active in the northern regions of the country.
Kane outlined several U.S. military operations aimed at southern and southeastern Iran, without mentioning any Israeli activity in those areas.
Historical satellite images reviewed by The Times show that the school was once part of the IRGC naval base. Roads connected the base to the school building, which was attacked on Saturday. However, by September 2016, satellite images indicated that the building had been separated from the base.
Publicly available historical satellite images reveal the structure’s characteristics as a school, including a sports field and recreational areas that were developed over time.
“Given U.S. intelligence capabilities, they should have known that a school was nearby,” stated Beth Van Schaack, a former State Department official who teaches at Stanford University’s Center for Human Rights and International Justice.
The precise circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear due to a lack of visible weapon debris and restrictions preventing journalists from accessing the strike site.
President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth have attributed the bombing of a girls' school in Iran to Iranian forces, following a missile strike that killed 175. Investigations reveal the school was likely a mistakenly identified target amid military operations.