Strike on girls' school that killed 150 in Iran was 'likely' carried out by US military, NYT says

The bombing of a girls’ elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, which left at least 150 people dead on the first day of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, may have been caused by a U.S. strike targeting a nearby Revolutionary Guard naval base, according to an investigation by The New York Times.

Neither the United States nor Israel has confirmed responsibility for the strike. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the Pentagon was investigating, insisting that U.S. forces “never target civilians.”

A Revolutionary Guard base nearby

Relying on satellite imagery, social media posts and verified videos, the New York Times reported that the school was heavily damaged by a strike that occurred at the same time as attacks on a nearby naval base belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Official statements indicating that U.S. forces were striking naval targets near the Strait of Hormuz, where the Iranian base is located, suggest they were the most likely to have carried out the strike, the newspaper said.

Separately, Reuters, citing two anonymous U.S. officials, reported Thursday that American military investigators consider it “likely” U.S. forces were responsible for the strike, although the investigation is still ongoing.

The death toll has not been independently verified, but Iranian authorities and state media say more than 150 people were killed, including students and teachers at the school.

The New York Times investigation ruled out the possibility that the school was hit by an Iranian missile.

If it is confirmed that a U.S. bomb struck the Shajarah Tayyebeh school, the newspaper said, the key question would be whether the strike was accidental or based on outdated intelligence.

Calls for investigation

Following publication of the investigation, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called Friday for the Pentagon probe to be “swift” and “transparent.”

“We also expect those responsible to be held accountable, as it is clear that mistakes were made,” Türk said at a news briefing, adding that repairs and compensation should follow.

Iranian authorities say more than 150 people were killed, including many children. UNICEF, the U.N. children’s agency, reported Friday that 168 students, most of them girls aged 7 to 12, were killed.

Iranian retaliation

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Friday it had targeted a U.S. airbase in the United Arab Emirates that it claimed was used to launch the strike on the Minab school.

“The Al-Dhafra airbase, belonging to the American terrorists in the region, was targeted by drones and precision missiles,” the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement broadcast on Iranian state television.

Neither the United States nor Israel has confirmed carrying out the strike in Minab. Washington says the Pentagon investigation is ongoing.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the United States would never “deliberately” target a school.