A missile strike on a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, on February 28, 2023, killed more than 175 children and teachers [1, 2, 3]. The attack occurred on the first day of the Iran war, when US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran [1, 2, 3].
An initial internal US military investigation suggested US forces were likely responsible for the strike, but the Pentagon has neither confirmed the preliminary findings nor released details publicly, instead elevating the probe [1, 2, 3]. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on June 24 that the investigation was being taken very seriously, but no results would be disclosed until the appropriate time [2].
On June 24, former US President Donald Trump expressed skepticism about US responsibility. He said, "I don’t know that they are ever going to solve that problem in terms of whose fault was it because there were missiles flying all over the place, and it’s horrible what happened, but there were missiles flying all over the place" [1]. Trump also said, "Somebody said it was our missile, maybe it wasn’t our missile, but I have seen nothing to lead me to believe it was. I don’t think it was us" [1].
Unnamed sources have suggested the strike might have been caused by Washington using outdated targeting data, but this remains unconfirmed [1, 3]. US officials say Washington would not deliberately target a school, noting that knowingly attacking such a site would likely constitute a war crime under international law [1, 3].
Trump initially accused Iran of responsibility shortly after the attack without evidence, but later accepted the need to wait for the investigation outcome and said nobody intended to attack the school deliberately [1, 3].
The investigation continues months after the strike that killed more than 175 children and teachers, with no public conclusion reached as of June 2026 [1, 2, 3].
