U.S. Responsible for Iran Girls’ School Strike, Military Officials Say

U.S. military investigators believe that it’s likely the United States was responsible for the deadly strike that killed more than 175 people, including dozens of children, at a girls’ school in Iran.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters Thursday that the horrific attack at Shajarah Tayyebeh over the weekend was most likely the work of the U.S. military, but they noted that the investigation was still ongoing and did not rule out discovering evidence that could point the blame elsewhere.

The strike on the girls’ primary school is the deadliest single attack of the U.S. and Israel’s military campaign thus far. Among the dead were dozens of young girls between the ages of 7 and 12, according to the public prosecutor in Minab. In a statement Sunday, Unesco condemned the attack on Shajarah Tayyebeh as a grave violation of international law, which prohibits attacks on schools.

An analysis from The New York Times suggested that the school had been struck at the same time as a U.S. strike on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, naval base next door—indicating that the U.S. was likely responsible for both.

It was not immediately clear why the school was targeted. Satellite images from 2013 showed that the school was previously connected to the IRGC naval base. More recent satellite images from 2016 showed that the school had been separated from the naval base by a wall.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the U.S. “would not deliberately target a school.”

While one would like to buy into Rubio’s pearl clutching, it’s worth noting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has openly admitted to setting aside the rules of engagement—who’s to say he doesn’t have the same attitude toward international law?