An investigation by The New York Times has suggested that the United States was most likely responsible for a strike that reportedly killed scores of people at an elementary school in southern Iran.
The strike, which occurred on February 28, hit a school in Minab, a town in southern Iran. Iranian authorities said at least 150 people were killed in the incident.
Neither the United States nor Israel has officially claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place near facilities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The United States Department of Defense said it has launched an investigation into the incident.
According to the New York Times report published on Thursday, statements from the US military indicated that its forces were targeting naval sites close to the Strait of Hormuz, where an IRGC base is located. These statements, the report said, suggest US forces were the most likely to have carried out the strike.
The newspaper also analysed social media posts, photos and videos shared by witnesses, which indicated that the Shajare Tayyebeh Elementary School was struck around the same time as a nearby IRGC naval facility.
Two unnamed US officials told Reuters that military investigators believe it is “likely” that US forces were responsible for the attack.
However, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said it had been unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the strike due to limited access to the location.
The top US military officer, Dan Caine, said on Wednesday that US forces were conducting strikes in southern Iran during the period when the incident occurred. A map he presented reportedly showed that areas including Minab were targeted within the first 100 hours of the military operation.
Caine also noted that Israeli operations had largely been concentrated in northern parts of Iran.
Satellite images from 2013 reviewed by the New York Times indicated that the school site was once part of an IRGC naval base. However, the newspaper said more recent imagery showed clear features of a functioning school, including a sports field and recreational areas that were added over time.
Speaking to the newspaper, former US State Department official Beth Van Schaack, who now teaches at Stanford University’s Centre for Human Rights and International Justice, said US intelligence capabilities should have been able to identify the presence of a school nearby.
Meanwhile, the Norway-based rights group Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said the school was holding its morning session when the strike occurred and reportedly had about 170 students present.
Responding to questions about possible US involvement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday: “Not that we know of.”
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