US President Donald Trump said that the bombing of a girls’ school in Iran that killed 168 children was not a deliberate attack, saying an investigation into the incident remains under way.
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Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Wednesday, Trump said there was no evidence that the school had been intentionally targeted during the conflict.
"That's under investigation," Trump said at a press conference. Referring to the strike, he added that mistakes are made in war and said: "Nobody did that on purpose."
Last month, Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, told Congress that the military investigation into the blast was "complex" because the school was located on an active Iranian cruise missile site.
The Pentagon has elevated its investigation into the February 28 incident, which occurred on the first day of the conflict. According to Iranian officials, 168 children, most of them girls, were killed in the blast at the school in Minab.
According to Reuters, an initial internal US military investigation found American forces were likely responsible for the destruction of the school. The report prompted a broader Pentagon review of the incident.
The attack on the Minab girls’ school drew international attention because of the high civilian death toll, mostly girls at the school, with Iranian authorities accusing the United States of carrying out the strike. The strikes took place on the first day of US launching its strikes on Iran in February.
US officials have maintained that the circumstances surrounding the blast remain under investigation, with questions focusing on the school's proximity to military infrastructure.
The Pentagon has not yet released the final findings of its inquiry into the incident.
