‘In my opinion, that was done Iran’: Trump rejects reports linking US to Iran school strike | World News
Satellite images and expert analysis suggest that a blast that destroyed a girls’ school in Minab and killed more than 165 people was likely caused a US airstrike, according to reporting the Associated Press (AP).The explosion on February 28 hit Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School during school hours. Iranian state media said most of those killed were children.
However, US President Donald Trump said he believed the attack was carried out Iran.
“No, in my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done Iran,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, according to BBC.
What happened
Satellite images reviewed AP show the school building largely destroyed, with a crescent-shaped hole in the roof and surrounding damage. Experts said the pattern of destruction is consent with a targeted airstrike.Story continues below this ad
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows the area of a school and base of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Minab, Iran, May 14, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
The school is located next to a compound linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been targeted during the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Satellite photographs show several buildings inside the compound damaged explosions, with craters and debris across the area.
What the US says
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the incident is under investigation.
“We’re certainly investigating,” Hegseth said when asked about the strike, according to AP. “But the only side that targets civilians is Iran.”Story continues below this ad
A US official told AP that the strike was likely carried out American forces, though the investigation is still ongoing.
What Trump said
Trump rejected reports suggesting US involvement and repeated that he believed Iran was responsible.
“We think it was done Iran because they’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions,” he said. “They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done Iran.”
His claim came after journals cited evidence from satellite imagery and other reporting that suggested the blast happened at the same time as airstrikes on the near military compound.Story continues below this ad
Why the location matters
The school stands close to facilities linked to the Revolutionary Guard, including barracks used naval units responsible for operations around the Strait of Hormuz.
Residents and officials attend the funeral of people killed in what Iranian officials said was an Israeli-U.S. strike Feb. 28 on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News Agency via AP)
Experts said the damage pattern suggests multiple precise strikes on buildings inside the compound.
“All the strikes are clustered within the compound,” said researcher Corey Scher, who studies satellite imagery of conflict zones.
International reaction
The strike has drawn criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups, which say attacks on schools would violate international law.Story continues below this ad
A spokesperson for the UN human rights office said the results of the investigation should be made public.
“The families of the little girls who were killed are entitled to the truth of how this happened,” the spokesperson said.
