US Likely Responsible For Strike On Iran School – New York Times
Iranians wave their national flags as the take part during an anti US-Israel demonstration after Friday prayer in Tehran on March 6, 2026. Crowds of Iranians gathered in central Tehran and elsewhere for the first Friday prayers since the start of the war with the United States and Israel. This week's Friday prayers were also the first since the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the wave of US and Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war. (Photo by AFP)
An investigation by The New York Times has suggested that the United States is likely responsible for a devastating strike on an elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, that reportedly killed more than 150 people, many of them children.
The strike occurred on February 28 during the early stages of the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. The missile hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school while classes were in session, according to Iranian officials. Iranian state media reported that between 168 and 180 people were killed, most of them schoolchildren.
According to the New York Times investigation, evidence including satellite imagery, verified social media posts, and witness videos suggests the school was struck at the same time U.S. forces were conducting attacks on a nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) naval base close to the Strait of Hormuz.
The report noted that official statements from the U.S. military indicated American forces were targeting naval facilities in southern Iran during that period, making it likely that the strike on the school occurred as part of the broader military operation.
However, the U.S. Department of Defense has not officially confirmed responsibility for the incident. Officials say the Pentagon is investigating the strike to determine what exactly happened.
Two U.S. officials, speaking anonymously to Reuters, reportedly said preliminary assessments by military investigators indicate that American forces were likely responsible, although the investigation remains ongoing and no final conclusion has been reached.
The attack has sparked international outrage, with human rights groups and the United Nations calling for a transparent and independent investigation into the incident. Under international humanitarian law, deliberate attacks on civilian structures such as schools could constitute a war crime.
Meanwhile, the White House has stated that the United States does not deliberately target civilian facilities, while reiterating that the incident is under review.
The Minab school strike is considered one of the deadliest civilian casualty events since the outbreak of the current conflict in Iran, intensifying global concern over the humanitarian impact of the war.
