US Probe Indicates American Forces Likely Struck Iran Girls School in Minab

A US military investigation has preliminarily indicated that American forces were likely responsible for a strike on a girls elementary school in Minab, in Iran's Hormozgan province, on the opening day of the US-Israel operation on February 28, according to two US officials who spoke with Reuters. Iranian officials reported approximately 150 students were killed in the strike, though the figures have not been independently verified. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the investigation is ongoing, stressing the US does not target civilian facilities, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio also denied any deliberate targeting of schools. An earlier New York Times report suggested the strike may have been accidental, occurring simultaneously with US attacks on an adjacent Iranian naval facility; Israel said it was unaware of any Israeli involvement in strikes in the Minab area.