'I don't think it was us': Trump denies US role in deadly Iran school bombing
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'I don't think it was us': Trump denies US role in deadly Iran school bombing")
Images of children killed on the first day of the war in an alleged US-Israeli missile strike on a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab are strung along the wall of a mosque in the capital Tehran on April 25, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
The strike hit a school in Iran's southern city of Minab on February 28, according to Iranian state media, with Iranian officials saying more than 175 children and teachers were killed in the attack.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he does not believe the United States was responsible for the deadly strike on a school in Iran during the opening day of the war, while acknowledging that the exact circumstances remain uncertain.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump said, "I don't think it was us" when asked about the attack.
The strike targeted a school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28, according to Iranian state media. Iranian officials said the attack killed more than 175 children and teachers.
Questioning allegations of US involvement, Trump pointed to the chaotic conditions that prevailed during the first day of the conflict.
"It's horrible what happened, but there were missiles flying all over the place, and somebody said it was our missile, well, maybe it wasn't our missile. But I've seen nothing to lead me to believe it was," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trump then asked Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to comment on the matter.
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"Well, Mr President, we've taken the investigation very seriously, and when, when the appropriate time is right, whatever that outcome is, that'll be the time to divulge," Hegseth said.
The United States has not accepted responsibility for the incident. Trump had earlier suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible because "they have no accuracy whatsoever" with their munitions.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon's investigation remains ongoing. In May, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper told Congress that a "complex" probe was underway and that its findings would be made public once completed.
The New York Times reported that the school was struck by a US Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon not possessed by Iran. CNN has also reported that the United States was responsible for the attack.
The issue has also generated political controversy in Washington. House Democrats introduced impeachment proceedings against Hegseth following the strike, while Senate Democrats last week threatened to block his travel funding until he submits "unredacted civilian harm investigations," including those related to the Minab school attack.
Iran has repeatedly highlighted the deaths of schoolchildren as part of its diplomatic outreach following the conflict.
Tehran officially named its negotiating delegation to Switzerland the "Minab 168" team and painted the slogan on the special government aircraft carrying President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to summits in Switzerland, Pakistan, Oman and India.
