US President Donald Trump said he does not “know enough” about reports that a Tomahawk cruise missile may have struck a school in Iran. His remarks came after a reporter questioned how Iran could have used the missile when it is widely known to be operated by the US military in the ongoing conflict.
“The Tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by and sold by other countries,” Trump said. “Iran also has some Tomahawks… I just don’t know enough about it. I think it’s something that I was told is under investigation.”
The controversy follows an explosion that hit an elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28, the same day large-scale strikes began across Iran.
Iranian authorities say the attack killed more than 150 people, many of them children, and have blamed the United States and Israel. Washington has rejected the allegation and says the incident is under investigation.
A report by The New York Times said it had verified video released by Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency showing what appeared to be a Tomahawk missile striking a structure near the school.
According to the newspaper, the only military using Tomahawk missiles in the current conflict is the United States.
The footage reportedly shows dust and smoke rising from the direction of the school shortly after a series of explosions near a nearby military facility.
Investigative group Bellingcat and analysts cited by the Associated Press also reviewed the video and satellite imagery, saying the munition seen in the footage was likely a Tomahawk cruise missile.
The strike occurred near facilities linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including a naval base and a medical clinic. Earlier US military briefings confirmed that American forces had targeted naval sites near the strategic Strait of Hormuz on the same day.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of attacking the school, while state media broadcast images of funerals and coffins draped in Iranian flags, some bearing photographs of children.
However, the Israeli military said it had no knowledge of a strike on a school. Spokesman Nadav Shoshani told reporters the army was “not aware of an Israeli or an American strike there”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would not intentionally target a school and confirmed that the Pentagon was examining the incident.
“The United States would not deliberately target a school. Our objectives are missiles and the ability to launch them,” Rubio said.
