Trump responds ‘I don’t know about it’ to reports on US-linked Iran school bombing

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, March 11, that he was unaware of reports suggesting the United States may have been responsible for a deadly missile strike on an Iranian elementary school earlier this year.

The remarks came after multiple media outlets reported that a preliminary US military investigation found American forces were likely behind the bombing.

The incident, which occurred in southern Iran, reportedly killed at least 175 people, most of them children.

The strike has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and raised questions about targeting procedures during the early stages of the US military campaign in the region.

Trump unaware of investigation report

Trump was asked by reporters on Wednesday about reporting from several news outlets indicating that investigators believe a US strike may have been responsible for the bombing of an elementary school in Iran.

When asked about the reports, the president said he was not aware of them. “I don't know about it,” Trump said.

Earlier in the week, Trump had suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible for the incident.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One over the weekend, the president blamed Tehran for the attack. “They’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran,” Trump said.

The president reiterated the possibility Monday that Iranian forces might have been responsible, even suggesting the country possessed Tomahawk missiles. The United States military is widely considered the only force currently using that type of missile in the conflict.

When a reporter questioned why he was the only official in his administration attributing the attack to Iran, Trump responded that he lacked sufficient information. “Because I just don’t know enough about it,” he said.

Preliminary investigation suggests US strike caused deadly school bombing

According to preliminary findings from an ongoing military investigation, the United States may have been responsible for the missile strike that destroyed an all-girls elementary school in southern Iran.

The February 28 strike hit the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building in the city of Minab and killed at least 175 people, most of them children, according to reporting citing officials briefed on the investigation.

Investigators believe the strike involved a Tomahawk missile and occurred due to a targeting error by the US military. 

American forces were reportedly conducting strikes against a nearby Iranian base that previously extended onto the school’s grounds.

The site had since been separated from the military facility, with walls built around it and the area converted into playground space for students.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday, March 10, that Trump would accept the findings of the Pentagon’s inquiry once it is completed. Leavitt also defended the president’s earlier comments about the incident, saying he was expressing a view based on available information.