US Investigators Believe American Strike Hit Iranian Girls’ School – Reuters

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

A Reuters investigation finds US military investigators believe American forces likely struck an Iranian girls’ school during the opening day of the war.

Key Developments

• Reuters investigation reveals US investigators believe American forces struck an Iranian girls’ school.

• The strike occurred during the first day of US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.

• Iranian officials say over 150 students were killed.

• Satellite imagery and video analysis by The New York Times link the strike to attacks on a nearby IRGC naval base.

• The UN human rights office has called for an independent investigation.

US Responsibility

A Reuters investigation has found that US military investigators believe American forces were likely responsible for the strike that hit a girls’ school in southern Iran during the opening hours of the war.

“US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed scores of children on Saturday but have not yet reached a final conclusion or completed their investigation,” two US officials told Reuters.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation concerns sensitive military matters.

“The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, did not rule out the possibility that new evidence could emerge that absolves the U.S. of responsibility and points to another responsible party in the incident,” Reuters reported.

The strike hit a girls’ school in Minab, a town in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, on February 28, the first day of US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the attack killed 150 students.

Reuters reported that key details about the strike remain unclear.

“Reuters was unable to determine more details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the tentative assessment, what type of munition was used, who was responsible or why the U.S. might have struck the school.”

US officials have acknowledged that the military is investigating the incident.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed during a briefing: “We’re investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we’re taking a look and investigating that.”

The Pentagon declined to comment further.

“It would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation,” Captain Timothy Hawkins, spokesperson for US Central Command, said, according to Reuters.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also referred questions to the military investigation.

The UN human rights office has called for an independent investigation.

“The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN human rights office.

Reuters noted that confirmation of US responsibility would make the incident one of the most serious civilian casualty events in decades of American military operations in the region.

“If a U.S. role were to be confirmed, the strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the Middle East,” Reuters reported.

New York Times Analysis

Separate reporting by The New York Times analyzed satellite imagery, videos and social media posts related to the attack.

According to the newspaper, “a body of evidence assembled by The New York Times — including newly released satellite imagery, social media posts and verified videos — indicates the school building was severely damaged by a precision strike that occurred at the same time as attacks on an adjacent naval base operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”

The Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school is located near an IRGC naval base in Minab. Satellite imagery examined by the newspaper showed multiple strikes in the area.

“The imagery shows that multiple precision strikes hit at least six Revolutionary Guards buildings along with the school,” the report said.

A national security analyst who reviewed the imagery suggested the strike may have been a targeting error.

Wes J. Bryant, a former US Air Force officer and Pentagon adviser on civilian harm, said the most likely explanation was “target misidentification.” He also described the impacts visible in the satellite images as “picture perfect” target strikes.

US military officials have acknowledged that American forces were conducting operations in southern Iran during the period when the strike occurred.

(PC, Reuters, New York Times)