US faulted in Iran school strike in initial Pentagon review: Report |
US faulted in Iran school strike in initial Pentagon review: Report
The United States is responsible for a deadly Tomahawk missile strike on an all-girls Iranian elementary school, according to preliminary findings from an ongoing military investigation.
The Feb. 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building, which killed at least 175 people, most of them children, was due to a targeting error by the U.S. military, The New York Times reported.
American forces were conducting strikes on a nearby Iranian base that had once extended onto the school grounds, which had since been walled off, cleared out for play areas and painted in bright colors. U.S. Central Command officers created target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, people briefed on the investigation told the outlet.
It is still unknown why officials did not verify the outdated information prior to the attacks, which hit the school in Minab in southern Iran the day joint U.S.-Israeli strikes began in the region.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the report, telling The Hill that the incident was under investigation. President Trump told reporters Wednesday he was unaware of the report.
Trump previously blamed Iran for the deadly incident, telling reporters Saturday that Tehran struck the school, even as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to say the same.
“They’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran,” Trump said on Air Force One as Hegseth stood behind him.
The president doubled down on Monday, suggesting Iran was in possession of Tomahawk missiles. He claimed the missiles are “sold to other countries,” despite the U.S. military being the only known fighting force to use the munition in the current conflict.
When a New York Times reporter pressed Trump as to why he was the only official in his administration blaming Iran, he replied: “Because I just don’t know enough about it.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday insisted Trump “is not making anything up,” and that he is making statements as a “feeling based on fact.”
She added that Trump would accept the findings of the Pentagon’s investigation.
The devastating strike — one of the largest single errors by the U.S. military in decades, if confirmed — has caused outrage, with Democratic lawmakers calling for answers from the Trump administration on the attack.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Trump’s claim about Iran using tomahawks “beyond asinine” and said the president was “lying through his teeth.”
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