The US missile strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed 168 school children was “a mistake,” Donald Trump has said. The February incident was not intentional and should be viewed in the larger context of war, the US President told reporters at the G7 summit in France.
The US and Israel bombed Iran collectively on February 28 and assassinated their Supreme leader and other top officials. The same day, a US Tomahawk missile also struck a primary school in Iran.
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“Nobody did that on purpose,” Trump said on Wednesday. He added that the situation was “under investigation.” “What about the thousands of soldiers they blew up? Mistakes are made. War is nasty,” he added.
Earlier, Iranian media shared a video showing a missile hitting a walled complex where the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school was located. Smoke was visible from another part of the compound before impact.
Weapons analysts and independent investigators have said the missile shown in the footage was a Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon used by the US Navy. Some experts cited in reports, including Bellingcat researcher Trevor Ball, said the video is among the strongest indications yet that US fired the missile.
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Kids aged 7-12 killed by the US
Iranian state media has said the strike killed nearly 180 people, most of them girls aged 7 to 12. The scene has been described as one of the deadliest incidents involving children in the US-Israeli war on Iran. Small coffins were later seen in mass funerals held in Minab.
Iran accused the US and Israel. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu denied involvement.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said it was a “war crime” and a “deliberate attack” rather than a mistake. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, he said more than 175 students and teachers were killed and called the attack a “crime against humanity.”
Trump has previously offered conflicting explanations, at times suggesting Iran may have been responsible due to misfired weapons, while at other moments rejecting claims of deliberate targeting.
Iran’s ‘Minab 168’ tribute at FIFA
The Iranian men’s national football team, which has adopted the name “Minab 168” this year, arrived in the US ahead of its opening FIFA World Cup match against New Zealand.
The team and its supporters reportedly paid tribute to the children killed in the Minab school attack by carrying pink schoolbags and holding posters of the victims. The gesture was repeated during pre-tournament activities.
