U.S. military investigators believe their military is likely responsible for an apparent attack on , last Saturday that left dozens of girls dead, but they have not yet reached a definitive conclusion or completed their investigation, two U.S. officials have been told.
The agency has not been able to determine further details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the preliminary evaluation, what type of ammunition was used, who was responsible or.
The US Secretary of Defense acknowledged on Wednesday that the US military was investigating the incident.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, did not rule out the possibility that new evidence could emerge that would clear the United States of responsibility and point to another party responsible for the incident.
Reuters could not determine how much longer the investigation will last or what evidence U.S. investigators are seeking before the assessment is complete.
The target
The girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, was attacked on Saturday during the first day of US and Israeli attacks on the country. The Iranian ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahraini, stated that the attack killed 150 students. Reuters could not independently confirm the death toll.
The Pentagon referred Reuters questions to the US military’s Central Command, whose spokesman, Captain Timothy Hawkins, stated: “It would be inappropriate to comment as the incident is under investigation.”
The White House did not comment directly on the investigation, but the press secretary, , told Reuters: “While the War Department is investigating this matter, the Iranian regime targets civilians and children, not the United States.”
“While the War Department is investigating this matter, the Iranian regime attacks civilians and children, not the United States.”
Asked about the incident during a news conference Wednesday, Hegseth responded: “We are investigating that. Of course, we never attacked civilians. But we are analyzing and investigating that.” The US Secretary of State, , told reporters on Monday that the United States would not deliberately attack a school. “The War Department would be investigating whether that was our attack, and I refer your question to them,” Rubio said.
Funerals of the students and staff of a school attacked on February 28, 2026 by the US and Israel in Minab (Iran), March 3.
How the offensive is distributed
So far, Israeli and US forces have divided their attacks in Iran both geographically and by target type, according to a senior Israeli official and a source with direct knowledge of the joint planning. While Israel attacked missile launch bases in western Iran, the United States attacked similar targets, as well as naval targets, in the south.
The U.N. human rights office, without specifying who it believed was responsible for the school attack, called for an investigation Tuesday.
“The responsibility to investigate lies with the forces that carried out the attack,” UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said at a news conference in Geneva.
On Tuesday, Iranian state television showed footage of the girls’ funeral. Their small coffins, draped with Iranian flags, were carried from a truck through a large crowd to the grave.
Deliberately attacking a school, hospital or any other civilian structure would likely constitute a war crime under international humanitarian law.
If US involvement is confirmed, the attack would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of US conflicts in the Middle East.
