US military investigators believe American forces may have been responsible for a deadly strike on an Iranian girls’ school that reportedly killed dozens of children on Saturday, though officials say the investigation is still ongoing and no final conclusion has been reached.
According to two US officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, preliminary assessments suggest the strike could have been carried out by US forces.
However, investigators have not yet completed their review and have not ruled out the possibility that new evidence could point to another party.
The officials did not disclose details about the evidence behind the early assessment. It also remains unclear what type of weapon may have been used, who authorized the strike, or why the school might have been targeted.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Wednesday that the Pentagon had opened an investigation into the incident.
“We’re investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we’re taking a look and reviewing the situation,” Hegseth said during a press briefing.
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The White House also acknowledged the investigation but did not directly address the possibility of US involvement. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters that the Department of War was reviewing the matter.
“While the Department of War is currently investigating this matter, the Iranian regime targets civilians and children, not the United States of America,” she said.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would never deliberately target a school and emphasized that the Pentagon would thoroughly investigate if American forces were responsible.
“The Department of War would be investigating that if that was our strike,” Rubio said while speaking to reporters.
According to a senior Israeli official and a source familiar with US-Israel military coordination, the two allies have been dividing their military operations in Iran based on geographic areas and target types.
Israeli forces have reportedly focused on missile launch facilities in western Iran, while US forces have targeted missile infrastructure and naval assets in the southern regions.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Office has called for a transparent investigation into the incident. Speaking at a briefing in Geneva, UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the responsibility for investigating the strike lies with the forces that carried it out.
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Images broadcast by Iranian state television showed large funeral gatherings for the victims. The coffins of the young girls, wrapped in Iranian flags, were carried through crowds before burial.
Under international humanitarian law, deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure such as schools or hospitals could constitute a war crime. If the investigation confirms US responsibility, the incident could become one of the deadliest civilian casualty events involving American forces in the Middle East in recent decades.
From an international law and human rights perspective, the outcome of the investigation will be closely watched by governments, global organizations, and human rights groups as the conflict in the region continues to escalate.
