CENTCOM officer assigned to probe Minab school attack amid US-Iran conflict
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. military has appointed an investigating officer to lead a command inquiry into a deadly strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday. The attack, which killed scores of children, has raised questions about the circumstances and responsibility for the incident.
Speaking at a Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth said the investigation will be thorough, led by a general officer from outside CENTCOM, and will take as long as necessary to address all aspects of the strike. He declined to confirm whether preliminary findings suggesting the U.S. military may have struck the school by mistake were accurate.
“We’re not going to let reporting force our hand in indicating what happened in a particular situation, because the truth matters,” Hegseth said. He emphasized that, in the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, the U.S. is committed to avoiding civilian casualties, asserting that American forces “literally never target civilians.”
Sources briefed on early findings told CNN that the strike may have been accidental, occurring while U.S. forces were targeting a nearby facility linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Minab school attack comes amid escalating U.S.-Israeli strikes across Iran, which have already affected thousands of targets and disrupted regional oil supply chains, pushing gas prices to a 22-month high.
The investigation is expected to provide clarity on the tragic civilian impact of military operations in Iran and guide future U.S. engagement in the region.
Source: CNN