US Acknowledges Possible Responsibility for Iran School Airstrike

The US military has acknowledged possible responsibility for an airstrike on an Iranian elementary school that is estimated to have killed at least 175 people.

According to Reuters on Monday (local time), US military investigators said American forces were likely responsible for the elementary school airstrike that occurred shortly after the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran on April 28.

The US military has reportedly not yet completed its investigation or reached a final conclusion. Officials who requested anonymity told Reuters that the possibility of other responsible parties besides the US military remains open. The Pentagon responded to Reuters' inquiry by saying it would be "inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation." White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said "the Department of Defense is investigating this matter," while adding that "it is the Iranian regime, not the United States, that targets civilians and children."

On the morning of April 28 at approximately 10:45 a.m. local time, shortly after the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran, a girls' elementary school in Minab in southern Iran was destroyed by an external attack. Local health authorities reported that at least 175 people were killed, including children who were attending classes at the school.

At a press conference on Sunday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said "the US military is investigating this incident" and emphasized that "we absolutely do not target civilian objectives." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said "the United States would not deliberately target a school," adding that "if it was our strike, the War Department (Defense Department) will investigate."

Reuters noted that "deliberately attacking civilian facilities including schools or hospitals constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law," adding that "if US involvement is confirmed, this attack would become one of the worst civilian casualty incidents in decades of US conflict in the Middle East."