Trump Claims Iran Responsible for School Strike, US Investigates | CBS News

President Trump on Saturday asserted his belief that the deadly strike on a girls’ primary school in southern Iran last weekend was carried out by Iran itself. He made the claim without offering supporting evidence.

“In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran…We think it was done by Iran, because they’re very inaccurate with their munitions, they have no accuracy whatsoever, it was done by Iran,” Mr. Trump said aboard Air Force One following a dignified transfer ceremony for six U.S. Service members killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait on March 1.

When pressed for clarification, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Pentagon is currently “investigating” the incident, adding that “the only side that targets civilians is Iran.”

Iranian state media and health officials have reported that the February 28 strike resulted in dozens of deaths, including schoolgirls aged between 7 and 12. Iranian authorities have blamed the United States and Israel for the attack.

However, two sources indicated to CBS News on Friday that Israel was not operating in the area at the time of the strike. One Israeli source explicitly stated that Israel was not responsible and confirmed that the Israeli Air Force was not operating near the school.

A person familiar with the ongoing inquiry also told CBS News Friday that U.S. Investigators are considering the possibility that the U.S. May have been responsible for the strike.

The White House acknowledged the investigation is ongoing. In a statement, spokesperson Anna Kelly said, “There are no conclusions at this time and it is both irresponsible and false for anyone to claim otherwise.” Kelly further emphasized, “As we have said, unlike the terrorist Iranian regime, the United States does not target civilians.”

The explosion occurred in Minab, a city located in the Hormozgan province of southern Iran. Footage from a parking lot showed black smoke rising from a damaged building decorated with murals depicting children’s drawings of crayons, apples, and other childlike imagery.

CBS News was able to geolocate the footage to a building in Minab, which Iranian media identified as the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school. Saturdays are regular school days in Iran.

CBS News has also confirmed that the building was situated in close proximity to two sites controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iranian state media reports that more than 170 people were killed in the explosion.

The incident occurs amid escalating tensions following a series of exchanges between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. Earlier Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his country’s military campaign in Iran would “continue with full force.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in turn, said Iran would suspend attacks on countries in the region unless an attack originated from those nations, dismissing the U.S. Demand for surrender as “a dream that they should take to their grave.”

Mr. Trump also revealed Saturday that he had “ruled out” the idea of asking armed Iranian Kurdish groups to launch a ground attack into Iran, a shift from his earlier statement on Thursday where he welcomed the possibility. “We’re not looking to the Kurds going in,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “We’re very friendly with the Kurds, as you know, but we don’t want to make the war any more complex than it already is.”