By Faris Tanyos
March 7, 2026 / 6:19 PM EST / CBS News
President Trump said Saturday that he believes a deadly strike on a girls’ primary school in southern Iran last weekend “was done by Iran,” making the claim without citing evidence. Speaking aboard Air Force One after attending the dignified transfer of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait on March 1, he added, “In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran…We think it was done by Iran, because they’re very inaccurate with their munitions, they have no accuracy whatsoever, it was done by Iran.”
When pressed about the source of the strike, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was “investigating,” and asserted that “the only side that targets civilians is Iran.”
Iranian state media and health officials report the Feb. 28 blast — the first day of the broader conflict — killed dozens, including girls ages 7 to 12. Iranian authorities have blamed the U.S. and Israel for the explosion. Two sources told CBS News on Friday that Israel was not operating in the area at the time; an Israeli source said the Israeli Air Force was not near the school. Separately, a person familiar with the U.S. inquiry told CBS News that some U.S. investigators believe U.S. actions may have been responsible.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the investigation is ongoing and cautioned against premature conclusions: “There are no conclusions at this time, and it is both irresponsible and false for anyone to claim otherwise. As we have said, unlike the terrorist Iranian regime, the United States does not target civilians.”
The explosion occurred in Minab, in Hormozgan province. Video shared online showed black smoke rising from a damaged building decorated with crayon-style murals and children’s artwork; CBS News geolocated the footage to a building identified by Iranian media as the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school. CBS confirmed that the site is near two locations controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iranian state outlets have reported a toll of more than 170 dead.
The investigation into the blast was ongoing at the time of the reporting, and multiple parties have offered differing accounts of responsibility.
Sara Cook, Camilla Schick and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.