US President Donald Trump said on February 28, the first day of the Iran war, that it may never be known who was responsible for the deadly attack on a girls' school in the southern Iranian city of Minab.
In remarks to reporters, Trump said, "I don't think they can solve that problem. Missiles were flying everywhere, and what happened was terrible, but missiles were flying everywhere."
The US president added, "Someone said it was our missile; maybe it wasn't our missile, but I've seen nothing to convince me it was," stating, "I don't think it was us."
Investigation and internal findings
In March, the Reuters news agency reported that the US military's initial internal investigation indicated a high likelihood that US forces were responsible for the attack. Although the Pentagon has expanded its investigation, it has not acknowledged any preliminary findings.
Sources close to the matter told Reuters in March that the attack may have resulted from the US using outdated targeting data.
International reactions and legal dimension
According to Iranian officials, more than 175 children and teachers were killed in the attack on February 28, when the US and Israel struck Iran. The attack sparked global outrage, with the UN human rights office describing it as "absolutely horrifying."
Under international humanitarian law, intentionally targeting a school constitutes a war crime. US officials have stated publicly that Washington would not deliberately target a school.
Trump initially claimed, without providing evidence, that Iran was responsible for the attack. He later said he did not have sufficient information about the attack, that the investigation was ongoing, that he would accept its results, and that "no one" had deliberately attacked the school.
