In war, truth is always the first casualty. For US President Donald Trump, facts rarely matter.
Hours after The New York Times reported that evidence suggested that the US armed forces were behind the bombing of a school in the southern Iranian town of Minab in which 170 young schoolgirls were killed, Trump was once again bending the truth.
He told reporters on board Air Force One that Iran was responsible for the incident. A disbelieving reporter then turns to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for confirmation. Instead of challenging Trump’s view, Hegseth responded by saying the incident was still under investigation.
On Monday, The New York Times provided further evidence of the US being behind the bombing.
According to the NYT, new video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile striking a facility of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the southern Iranian town of Minab on February 28, the Netherlands-based investigative outlet Bellingcat reported on Sunday, adding to a growing body of analysis pointing to US responsibility for a strike on a girls’ school.
Bellingcat geolocated footage released by Iran’s Mehr News Agency showing the Tomahawk’s impact and said smoke was already seen rising from the nearby school, where more than 170 people were reportedly killed.
The group noted that the US is the only party in the conflict known to possess such missiles, as Israel does not.
The report appears to contradict Trump’s Saturday claim that Iran was responsible.
Bellingcat’s findings align with several earlier analyses.
A US investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, several other media houses have also reported on the US being responsible for the deadly strike.
The Wall Street Journal, citing an American official, reported that US military investigators believe American forces were likely responsible, though no conclusion had been reached. The official claimed there were indications that the building had been used as an IRGC headquarters.
The New York Times, drawing on satellite imagery and geolocated videos, found the school was struck at the same time as precision hits on an adjacent IRGC naval base, with a former US Air Force official suggesting the most likely explanation was “target misidentification.”
BBC Verify reported multiple impact sites and burn marks around both the school and nearby IRGC facilities, with analysts saying the damage pattern suggested the use of a penetrating munition.
Middle East Eye, citing survivors and first responders, reported a possible “double-tap” strike — a second explosion hitting the area shortly after the first, striking people who had taken shelter.
CBC News noted the attack coincided with the first wave of US-Israeli strikes across southern Iran.
The February 28 strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school killed more than 170 people, many of them children, according to Iranian officials.
UNESCO described the killing of students as a “grave violation” of protections for educational facilities under international humanitarian law and called for a full investigation.
No side has formally claimed responsibility.