Trump: Responsibility for Deadly Iran School Strike May Never Be Known

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that it may never be determined who was responsible for a deadly strike on a girls’ school in Iran that killed scores of children on the first day of the Iran war, as questions continue over whether U.S. forces were involved.

The February 28 strike in Minab, southern Iran, killed more than 175 children and teachers, according to Iranian officials, triggering international outrage and renewed scrutiny of the U.S. military operation.

Trump, speaking to reporters, said the circumstances surrounding the attack may never be fully resolved.

“I don’t know that they are ever going to solve that problem,” Trump said, referring to questions over responsibility.

“I don’t know that they are ever going to solve that problem in terms of whose fault was it because there were missiles flying all over the place, and it’s horrible what happened but there were missiles flying all over the place,” he added.

Trump said he had not seen evidence proving the strike was carried out by U.S. forces.

“Somebody said it was our missile, maybe it wasn’t our missile but I have seen nothing to lead me to believe it was,” he said. “I don’t think it was us.”

Reuters reported in March that an initial internal U.S. military assessment found U.S. forces were likely responsible for the strike. The Pentagon has since elevated the investigation but has not publicly confirmed any preliminary conclusions.

Sources familiar with the matter previously told Reuters that the strike may have resulted from the use of outdated targeting information. U.S. officials have said the military did not intentionally target a school.

Under international humanitarian law, deliberately attacking a school could constitute a war crime. The United Nations human rights office described the reported strike as “absolutely horrific.”

The attack occurred on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran. Iranian officials said the victims included students and teachers at the girls’ school.

Trump initially suggested, without providing evidence, that Iran may have been responsible for the strike. He later said he did not have enough information to determine what happened, that an investigation was underway, and that he would accept the findings.

He has also said that “nobody” intentionally targeted the school.

The strike remains one of the most controversial incidents of the conflict, with families of victims and international observers demanding answers as officials continue investigating who was responsible.