Trump says he does not know about report that US strike hit school in Iran

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was unaware of a new report suggesting a US military investigation found American forces may have struck a school in Iran during recent attacks.

"I don't know about it," Trump told the reporters when asked about the findings.

A preliminary US military investigation has concluded that American forces were responsible for a Feb. 28 deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school, the New York Times reported Wednesday, citing US officials and others familiar with the findings.

The strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school was the result of a targeting error in the early hours of the war that Israel and the US started against Iran, the investigation found. Officers at the US Central Command (CENTCOM) generated strike coordinates using outdated Defense Intelligence Agency data that still identified the school building as part of an adjacent Iranian military base, a designation that was no longer accurate.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday no nation takes more precautions than the US to ensure civilians are never targeted, when asked what steps the Pentagon is taking to limit civilian casualties in Iran.

Regarding the strike on the girls school in Iran that reportedly killed at least 175 people, most of them children, Hegseth said that when incidents happen, the US investigates.

Senators demand answers from Pentagon on school strike

A total of 46 senators sent a letter Wednesday to Hegseth seeking answers on the strike.

"To be clear, the war against Iran is a war of choice without Congressional authorization. Nonetheless, as these military actions continue, the United States and Israel must abide by U.S. and international law, including the law of armed conflict.

"There must be a swift investigation into the strikes on this school and any other potential U.S. military actions causing civilian harm, and the findings must be released to the public as soon as possible, along with any measures to pursue accountability,” the senators, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen wrote in the letter.

The senators asked Hegseth for details on the pre-strike analysis and whether the school had been deliberately targeted.

The senators said the results of the school attack were "horrific."

"Neither the United States nor the Israeli Government has yet taken responsibility for this attack,” said the letter.

They also expressed concern about Hegseth’s comments earlier this month, in which he characterized Operation Epic Fury as being carried out with “no stupid rules of engagement.”

“This rhetoric only serves to endanger civilians, including American citizens, in the region and around the globe. The United States is a party to the Geneva Conventions and bound by international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution,” the senators wrote.

Separately, several Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to provide testimony under oath about the operation in Iran.