US Military Investigating Deadly Strike on Iran Girls School

Preliminary report suggests US likely responsible for attack that killed over 165 people, mostly children

Mar. 14, 2026 at 5:03pm

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The U.S. military is investigating a deadly missile strike on an all-girls elementary school in Iran that killed over 165 people, many of them children, in the opening hours of the war on Feb. 28. A new preliminary report revealed the U.S. was likely responsible for the strike, and Democratic senators are pushing the Department of Defense for information.

Why it matters

If the U.S. fault is confirmed, it would rank among the worst incidents of civilian deaths in the last two decades caused by American military operations, raising significant concerns about the conduct of the conflict and the military's targeting procedures.

The details

The state-run IRNA news agency reported that at least 165 people were killed when a strike hit Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, an all girls school in Minab, Iran's southern Hormozgan province. The strike hit the morning of Saturday, Feb. 28, when the building was full of young children. A local official said among the dead were students, parents and school staff.

  • The strike hit the morning of Saturday, February 28, 2026.
  • On Wednesday, March 11, 2026, dozens of Democratic senators demanded answers from the Trump administration about the strike.

The players

Pete Hegseth

Secretary of War who said at a Pentagon briefing that U.S. Central Command has appointed a senior officer from outside the command to lead the review of the incident.

Donald Trump

The President who initially blamed Iran for the attack, later said he wasn't certain who was to blame, and then said he would accept the results of the Pentagon's investigation.

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What they’re saying

“CENTCOM has designated an investigating officer to complete a command investigation. The command investigation will take as long as necessary to address all the matters surrounding this incident.”

— Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War (FOX News)

“There's only one entity in this conflict, between us and Iran, that never targets civilians, literally never target civilians. We will investigate. We'll get to the truth and we'll share it when we have it.”

— Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War (FOX News)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

If the U.S. fault is confirmed, it would rank among the worst incidents of civilian deaths in the last two decades caused by American military operations, raising significant concerns about the conduct of the conflict and the military's targeting procedures.