Iran congratulates Karoline Leavitt on her daughter’s birth with chilling ‘Minab’ reminder

WASHINGTON, DC: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was surely over the moon as she announced the birth of her second child, a daughter named Viviana.

The 28-year-old Press Secretary, who happens to be the youngest person ever to serve in the role, took to her social media to announce the good news, with a picture of herself in a nursery, cradling her baby daughter to her chest.

"On May 1st, Viviana aka 'Vivi' joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love," Leavitt said.

“She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister. We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble," she added.

Along with several influential political figures, the Iranian embassy also congratulated her, but with a chilling reminder.

Iran embassy sends Leavitt chilling reminder

The Iranian embassy in Armenia seized the moment to congratulate her while reminding her of the US military air strike on an elementary school in Minab.

“Congratulations to you. Children are innocent and lovable. Those 168 children that your boss killed in the school in Minab, and you justified, were also children,” they wrote while reposting her image.

"When you kiss your baby, think of the mothers of those children,” they continued.

Iranian officials were referring to the opening day of the joint US-Israel strikes on Iran earlier this year, when a missile slammed into the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab.

Authorities claimed a total of 73 boys and 47 girls were killed in the February 28 strike, along with twenty-six teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, and a pharmacy technician at the clinic next to the school.

Karoline Leavitt defended the Minab strike

Reports from US media at the time said the school building was struck in what officials described as a precision attack, while Leavitt maintained in March that American forces were not deliberately targeting civilians.

"The Department of War is investigating this matter. And I would just tell you very strongly the United States of America does not target civilians, unlike the rogue Iranian regime that targets civilians, that kills children, that has killed thousands of their own people in the past several weeks and uses propaganda quite effectively, and unfortunately, many people in this room have fallen for that propaganda,” she said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also weighed in on Iran’s allegations at the time, telling reporters during a Pentagon briefing that the claims were being reviewed. He stressed that US forces “never target civilian sites” and said officials were actively investigating the incident.

Their boss, President Donald Trump, gave a different anecdote, claiming that Iran itself may have been responsible, despite Iran not having Tomahawk missiles.

Trump said on 7 March that in his "opinion," Iran was to blame for the Minab strike, without providing evidence.