Pentagon investigators are examining the possibility that American military forces may have been behind a devastating attack on a girls’ school in Iran that occurred over the weekend, according to two defense officials who spoke anonymously about the ongoing probe.
The incident took place Saturday at a school in Minab, located in southern Iran, during coordinated military operations by US and Israeli forces against the country. Iran’s United Nations representative in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, reported that 150 female students lost their lives in the strike, though Reuters has been unable to verify this casualty figure independently.
While military investigators consider US involvement probable, they have not yet finalized their findings or wrapped up their examination of the evidence. The officials cautioned that additional information could still surface that might clear American forces of responsibility and identify another party as being behind the attack.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday that the military is conducting an investigation into what happened. During a press briefing, he stated: “We’re investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we’re taking a look and investigating that.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly told journalists Monday that America would not intentionally strike a school facility. “The Department of War would be investigating that if that was our strike, and I would refer your question to them,” Rubio commented.
The White House avoided directly addressing the investigation, though press secretary Karoline Leavitt provided 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.”
Central Command spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins declined to provide additional details, explaining: “It would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”
According to sources familiar with the military coordination, American and Israeli forces have been dividing their Iranian operations both by location and target type. While Israel has focused on missile facilities in western Iran, US forces have been hitting similar targets along with naval installations in the southern region.
Iranian state media broadcast footage Tuesday showing funeral services for the young victims. Small coffins wrapped in Iranian flags were transported by truck and carried through large crowds toward burial sites.
The United Nations human rights office has called for a thorough investigation without specifying who they believe carried out the attack. UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva: “The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it.”
Under international humanitarian law, intentionally targeting schools, hospitals, or other civilian facilities would constitute a war crime. Should American involvement be confirmed, this incident would represent one of the most serious civilian casualty events in decades of US Middle Eastern military operations.
Investigators have not disclosed what evidence has led to their preliminary assessment, what type of weapon may have been used, or how much longer the investigation might continue.
