Donald Trump says it may never be known who is responsible for the attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran, where over 175 children and teachers died on the first day of the war between the US, Israel, and Iran.
The American president stated on Wednesday that, in his opinion, the chaos during the bombings makes it almost impossible to establish responsibility for the tragedy.
The statements come after Reuters reported in March that a preliminary internal investigation by the US military indicated that the strike was most likely caused by US forces. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has expanded the investigation without publicly confirming the preliminary findings.
Trump: "I don't think it was us"
When asked by journalists about the attack on the school in the city of Minab, Donald Trump said he is not convinced that the investigation will ever be able to determine who is to blame.
"I don't know if they will ever succeed in solving this problem. I don't know if they will ever be able to establish whose fault it was because rockets were flying everywhere, and it's horrible what happened, but rockets were flying everywhere," stated the White House leader.
He also rejected the idea that the strike was caused by the US military. "Someone said it was our rocket, maybe it wasn't our rocket, but I haven't seen anything to make me believe it was. I don't think it was us," Trump affirmed.
Reuters: Preliminary investigation indicates a possible error by the US military
On February 28, the first day of the war, the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. According to Iranian authorities, one of the strikes destroyed a girls' school in Minab and killed over 175 children and teachers.
Reuters exclusively reported in March that the initial findings of an internal investigation by the US military indicated that US forces were most likely responsible for the attack. Sources familiar with the investigation stated at that time that the incident could have been caused by the use of outdated targeting data.
The Pentagon later decided to expand the investigation, but has not yet made its conclusions public or officially confirmed the information reported in the press.
A possible war crime case
According to international humanitarian law, the intentional targeting of a school could constitute a war crime. American officials have repeatedly claimed that the United States would not deliberately attack an educational institution.
The attack has sparked international condemnation, with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Office describing it as "absolutely horrifying."
Immediately after the incident, Trump stated, without presenting evidence, that Iran is responsible for the attack. He later nuanced his position, saying he does not have enough details about the case, that the investigation is ongoing, that he will accept the investigation results, and that, in his opinion, "no one" intentionally attacked the school.
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