The attack occurred two days before first lady Melania Trump said she hoped for “peace” for all children
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Funeral-Iran-Minab-2026-030626-805bccf6144d4ba19405aa84c943dc92.jpg "Iranian mourners carry coffns during a funeral in Minab, Hormozgan Province, Iran, on March 3, 2026.")
Credit: Iranian Red Crescent/UPI/Shutterstock
Evidence seemingly suggests a strike on a girls’ school in Iran last weekend that killed about 200 people was likely caused by U.S. military action, according to multiple reports, as the White House insists "there are no conclusions at this time."
On Feb. 28, half of the Shajarah Tayyebeh school in Minab was decimated by the explosion, leaving at least 175 dead, The New York Times reported. The deadly attack occurred the same day that the United States and Israel began bombing Iran and two days before first lady Melania Trump said she hoped for “peace” for all children.
Although it was not immediately clear why the school was hit or which forces were responsible, the girls' school is located near a targeted naval base, as the newspaper noted at the time.
Initially, in response to reports of the attack, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. forces "would not deliberately target a school,” the Times reported, while Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesman said they "take these reports seriously and are looking into them.”
In the days since the attack, separate analyses by the Times and the Associated Press reportedly suggest likely U.S. involvement.
Satellite imagery recorded on March 4 and reviewed by the AP showed the school decimated to rubble. According to experts, the tight pattern of the damage seen in the images reportedly indicates a targeted airstrike.
A review of social media posts that first reported the strikes on the morning of Feb. 28 — along with witness photos and footage taken shortly after the attacks — seemed to confirm that the school was struck at the same time as a naval base overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Times reported.
Meanwhile, two U.S. officials speaking with Reuters on the condition of anonymity said that U.S. investigators suspect American military forces were likely responsible for the attack on the school.
However, the investigation has not concluded, and the unnamed officials did not dismiss the possibility that new evidence could exonerate the U.S. of blame.
The AP cited an unnamed official who said the U.S. was likely responsible, as well, while The Wall Street Journal , also citing an unnamed U.S. official, reported that there are signs that the school was previously used as headquarters for Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
“This investigation is ongoing,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Friday, March 6. "There are no conclusions at this time, and it is both irresponsible and false for Reuters to claim otherwise. As we have said, unlike the terrorist Iranian regime, the United States does not target civilians.”
Asked about the media reports, a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) official wrote to PEOPLE on Friday, "It would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”
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On Friday, March 6, three U.N. experts expressed “profound shock and grief” over the school attack.
“A strike on a school represents a grave assault on children, on education, and on the future of an entire community,” the U.N. experts said in a statement. “There is no excuse for killing girls in a classroom.”
“The reported destruction of a school and the killing of girls in a classroom is among the most flagrant examples of how conflict can steal girls’ futures in an instant, extinguishing not only young lives, but also the hopes, agency, and opportunities education makes possible,” their statement added.
The U.N. news release did not specifically cite who was to blame for the attack but called for an immediate end to all hostilities.