Whose Airstrike Hit a Girls’ School in Iran? The U.S. Says It Is Still Investigating
Editor: Sudhir Choudhary
Date: March 5, 2026
Reuters
The Guardian
People.com
TIME
A deadly airstrike that struck a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran has triggered international outrage and a widening investigation, as U.S. officials say they are still determining who was responsible for the attack.
The strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in the city of Minab in Iran’s Hormozgan province at approximately 10:45 a.m. local time on February 28, 2026, during the first day of a large-scale military campaign against Iran. Iranian authorities say between 165 and 180 people were killed, most of them schoolchildren, with dozens more injured.
U.S. officials have not confirmed responsibility for the attack and say the incident remains under review. The Pentagon and White House have stated that the United States does not deliberately target civilian infrastructure, including schools.
The Deadliest Strike of the Conflict So Far
According to Iranian officials, the missile strike destroyed much of the school building while classes were underway. Rescue teams and residents spent hours searching through the rubble for survivors.
The attack has been described as the deadliest single incident since the start of the current Iran conflict. Iranian state media reported that at least 165 students and staff members were killed and around 95 others injured, although these numbers have not been independently verified by international investigators.
Video footage from the aftermath—verified by multiple news organizations—showed the school’s collapsed walls and debris scattered across the compound, with books and classroom materials buried beneath the rubble.
The scale of the casualties prompted a mass funeral in Minab, attended by thousands of mourners as families buried victims wrapped in white shrouds and Iranian flags.
Competing Claims Over Responsibility
Iranian authorities have blamed U.S. and Israeli forces, saying the attack occurred during a wave of airstrikes launched by both countries against Iranian military targets.
However, U.S. officials have not confirmed whether American aircraft or missiles were responsible. The Pentagon has stated it is reviewing operational data and intelligence from the strikes conducted that day.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that American forces “would not deliberately target a school,” while acknowledging that the military is examining the reports to determine whether the strike was connected to U.S. operations.
Israeli officials have also denied knowledge of a strike specifically targeting the school. Some analysts have suggested that nearby military infrastructure could have been the intended target, although no official confirmation of that claim has been provided.
Satellite imagery and open-source analysis indicate the school was located close to a facility associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, raising questions about whether the area contained military objectives.
International Calls for an Independent Investigation
International organizations have called for a transparent inquiry into the attack.
The United Nations human rights office said it was “deeply disturbed” by reports of the strike and urged the forces involved in the conflict to conduct a full investigation and disclose their findings.
Human rights organizations and education advocates have also condemned the attack, noting that international humanitarian law prohibits deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure such as schools and hospitals.
The United Nations and several humanitarian groups have warned that the rising civilian death toll in the conflict—including the school strike—could amount to serious violations of international law if civilians were intentionally targeted.
Unanswered Questions
Despite multiple reports and official statements, several key questions remain unresolved:
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Who launched the missile or airstrike that destroyed the school?
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Was the school directly targeted, or was it struck accidentally during an attack on nearby military infrastructure?
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Were military facilities located close enough to the school to create targeting confusion?
For now, U.S. officials say the investigation is ongoing and that no final determination has been made about responsibility for the attack.
As the broader conflict continues, the strike on the Minab girls’ school has become one of the most tragic and controversial incidents of the war, intensifying global concern over the protection of civilians during military operations.
Sources: Reuters; The Guardian; TIME; The Washington Post; United Nations statements; verified open-source investigations.
Tags: Iran airstrike, Minab school attack, Iran war 2026, civilian casualties, international humanitarian law, Middle East conflict
News by The Vagabond News.
