U.S. President Donald Trump said that those responsible for the deadly attack on a girls' school in the city of Minab in southern Iran on February 28, the first day of the Iran war, may never be identified.
Speaking to journalists, Trump said, "I don't think they'll be able to solve that problem. Missiles were flying everywhere and what happened was terrible, but missiles were flying everywhere."
The U.S. President stated, "Some people said it was our missile, maybe it wasn't our missile, but I have seen nothing to make me believe it was," and added, "I don't think it was ours."
Investigation and internal findings
Reuters news agency reported in March that the U.S. military's initial internal investigation indicated a high likelihood that U.S. forces were responsible for the attack. Although the Pentagon has expanded the investigation, it has not acknowledged any preliminary findings.
Sources close to the matter told Reuters in March that the attack may have resulted from the U.S. using outdated targeting data.
International reactions and legal dimension
According to Iranian officials, more than 175 children and teachers were killed in the attack on February 28, when the U.S. and Israel struck Iran. The attack sparked global outrage, with the U.N. human rights office describing it as "absolutely horrific."
The intentional targeting of a school constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law. U.S. officials said in public statements that Washington would not intentionally target a school.
Trump initially claimed, without providing evidence, that Iran was responsible for the attack, later stating he did not have enough information about the attack, that the investigation was ongoing, that he would accept its results, and that "no one" intentionally attacked the school.
