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U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran was responsible for the deadly strike on a girls' elementary school that killed more than 168 people, directly contradicting preliminary findings from his own administration's investigators that a U.S. munition was likely involved.
"Based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran," Trump said when asked if the United States bombed the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, southern Iran, on the first day of the war.
"We think it was done by Iran. Because they're very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran," Trump added.
Asked if that was true, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said: "We are still investigating, but the only side that targets civilians is Iran."
The president's comments contradicted preliminary findings that a U.S. munition may have been involved in the strike, sources told NBC News. Trump administration officials told members of Congress that Israel was not responsible for the bombing, according to two U.S. officials. The investigation remains ongoing.
Two U.S. officials previously told Reuters that military investigators believe it is likely American forces were responsible for the strike, but have not reached a conclusion.
Israel was not operating in the area, two sources told CBS News on Friday. One of those, an Israeli source, told CBS News that Israel was not behind the strike and said that the Israeli Air Force was not operating near the school.
A person familiar with the ongoing inquiry also told CBS News on Friday that U.S. investigators believe the U.S. may have been responsible.
Multiple international media reports, citing satellite imagery, verified videos, and expert analysis, suggested the school was hit during attacks targeting an adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval facility near the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysis by The New York Times based on satellite images showed multiple precision impacts on at least six buildings inside the military compound, as well as severe damage to the school.
Wes J. Bryant, a former U.S. Air Force official who reviewed the images, told the Times that the destruction pattern appeared consistent with "precision target strikes," suggesting the most likely explanation was "target misidentification."
BBC Verify reported that satellite imagery showed multiple impact sites around both the school and nearby IRGC facilities.
"So many impact sites so close together suggest there were one or more targets in close proximity to each other," satellite imagery analyst Jamon Van den Hoek of Oregon State University told the broadcaster.
Another analyst said damage patterns suggested the use of a munition designed to penetrate deeper structures.
The Guardian's reconstruction concluded that the school lies directly adjacent to a cluster of IRGC buildings.
Open-source researchers confirmed the school's location next to the military compound. However, satellite images show the facility had been physically separated from the base by a wall in recent years.
The Wall Street Journal, citing an American official, reported that U.S. military investigators believe American forces were likely responsible. The school sits on the edge of a compound linked to the IRGC, and the U.S. official said there are indications the building had been used as an IRGC headquarters.
The CBC reported the bombing took place during the first wave of U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran, noting that Minab lies within the primary area of U.S. military activity in southern Iran.
Satellite images showed U.S. strikes on military facilities in Bandar Abbas, about 80 kilometers west of Minab, and Konarak Naval Base, roughly 400 kilometers to the southeast.
Middle East Eye, citing first responders and survivors, reported the attack may have involved a "double-tap" strike, a tactic in which a second explosion hits the same location shortly after the first, reportedly striking people who had taken shelter.
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Human Rights Watch called on the United States and Israel to investigate the school bombing as a "war crime."
"The United States and Israel should immediately assess their responsibility for this attack and make the findings public," the organization said.
"The responsible party should fully account for the civilian harm and hold those responsible accountable, including prosecuting anyone responsible for war crimes," the organization added.
UNESCO described the killing of students as a "grave violation" of protections for educational facilities under international humanitarian law and urged a full investigation.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an earlier interview that 171 schoolgirls were killed. "This is what our military said. So, it is either the U.S. or Israel. What is the difference?" he said.
Iranian state media reported 168 people killed and at least 95 injured. The school was struck on Feb. 28 while classes were underway.
Minab Governor Mohammad Radmehr said girls aged between 7 and 12 were killed when the building was largely destroyed, and parts of its concrete roof collapsed onto classrooms.
Independent verification of casualty figures and the precise sequence of events remains difficult due to restricted access to the site and ongoing internet disruptions in Iran.
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