On June 24, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump said it may never be established who carried out the February 28 airstrike on a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, which killed more than 175 children and teachers. Speaking to reporters, Trump cast doubt on any prospect of definitive accountability, describing a chaotic battlefield where “missiles were flying all over the place.”

Reuters revealed in March that an initial U.S. military investigation found American forces were likely responsible for the attack, which occurred on the first day of coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but has not acknowledged any preliminary findings. Trump, who initially blamed Iran without offering evidence, has since said he does not know enough about the incident and will accept the investigation’s results, while maintaining that “nobody” purposefully targeted the school.

The attack, which Iranian officials say killed over 175 students and staff, provoked global outrage. The United Nations human rights office called it “absolutely horrific.” Sources told Reuters that outdated targeting data may have led to the school being misidentified; intentionally striking a civilian school would likely constitute a war crime, though Washington insists it would never deliberately target such a site.