US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth Investigates Airstrike on Girls' Primary School in Iran

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that his government is conducting a thorough investigation into the airstrike that struck a girls’ primary school in southern Iran. The tragedy at Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School, in Minab, is reported to have killed at least 168 pupils. “What I can say is that we are investigating it,” Hegseth told reporters on Wednesday (4 March 2026) when questioned about the bombing. In his statement, Hegseth stressed that the United States military has strict protocols to never target civilian locations in any operation. Iranian officials disclosed that the school was targeted as part of a series of strikes allegedly carried out by the United States and Israel on Saturday 28 February 2026. Local governor Mohammad Radmehr said the bomb struck the building while classes were in session. The fatalities were dominated by girls aged between 7 and 12. State media reports described extensive infrastructure damage. The school building was completely destroyed with a concrete roof collapse onto classrooms. In addition to 168 dead, at least 95 others were injured. Iran officially accuses the US-Israel alliance of being behind this deadly attack. On the other hand, the Israeli military issued a statement claiming it was not aware of any Israeli or US military operation in the Minab area at the time of the incident. However, history shows that Israel has sometimes denied involvement in deadly attacks across different battlefields, before correcting itself after additional on-the-ground evidence emerged. The Pentagon’s promised investigation is now under international scrutiny to ensure accountability for the hundreds of civilian child casualties.