U.S. military will not back Trump claim that Iran hit girls school
Mar 9th 2026
President Trump said Iran struck a girls elementary school in Minab, but Pentagon officials and independent analysts say investigations point to targeted long range munitions consistent with U.S. strikes and have not supported the president’s claim.
- President Trump said Iran struck an elementary school in Minab after an attack that Iranian officials say killed at least 175 people, many of them children.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Central Command declined to endorse the president’s claim and said the incident is under investigation.
- Three current and former U.S. defense officials told reporters they saw no evidence Iran fired on the school and described the strikes as highly precise.
- Analysts and video assessments, including Bellingcat, identified the weapon as a Tomahawk cruise missile that is used by the U.S.
- Independent reporting by the New York Times and New Lines Magazine found the school and the adjacent naval base were struck at roughly the same time, and Airwars says the campaign has seen an unusually high rate of strikes and potential civilian harm.