Rabat – Five former US officials, including a senior military lawyer, have criticized the Pentagon for failing to disclose details about a deadly strike on a school in Iran, calling the lack of transparency highly unusual.
A missile hit a primary school in the southern city of Minab on February 28, during the opening phase of the US-Israeli war with Iran, killing 168 people, including about 110 children, according to Iranian authorities.
In the two months since, the Pentagon has said only that the incident remains under investigation. US media reported in early March that military investigators believed American forces were likely responsible but had not reached a final conclusion.
Asked about the strike, a Pentagon official told the BBC: “This incident is currently under investigation,” adding that more information would be released when available.
Former officials said such limited disclosure diverges from past practice.
“The current US position strikingly departs from the standard response,” said Rachel VanLandingham, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel and former legal adviser at US Central Command. “Administrations in the past at least demonstrated fidelity, a commitment to the law of war.”
She added that the administration’s statements lacked a clear commitment to accountability and preventing future incidents.
President Donald Trump said on March 7 that, in his “opinion,” Iran was responsible for the strike, without providing evidence. Days later, when asked about a video appearing to show a US Tomahawk missile hitting a nearby military base, he said, “I haven’t seen it,” and claimed Iran possessed such missiles. On March 11, he said, “I don’t know about it,” when asked about reports suggesting US involvement.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, questioned on March 4, said, “All I can say is that we’re investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets.”
The Pentagon had declined to answer repeated questions, including whether the Iranian military base adjacent to the school was a pre-planned target.
The BBC said it had independently verified footage showing a US Tomahawk missile striking a base belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard next to the school. US media, citing unnamed officials, reported that a preliminary inquiry found a US missile likely hit the school due to outdated target coordinates provided by an intelligence agency. The Pentagon has not commented on those reports.
Wes Bryant, a former adviser on civilian harm migration at the Pentagon, said such preliminary inquiries typically determine whether civilian casualties occurred and whether US forces were operating in the area.
“When you meet both of those criteria, that’s the only time that an investigation is formally initiated,” he told the BBC. “That just points even more to the fact that they know already that the US caused this. To not even be able to have any comment on it whatsoever is just unacceptable.”
While some investigations can be complex, “this is a case where it’s unusually opaque,” said another former defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Normally, the Pentagon would take relatively fast responsibility and then require a longer period to provide full details,” the official said. “So to me it’s problematic.”
Democrats demand answers
Congressional Democrats have repeatedly written to Hegseth seeking clarification, including whether US forces carried out the strike.
Two Pentagon response letters reviewed by the BBC did not answer those questions, stating only that an investigating officer had been appointed and findings would be shared once complete.
Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said officials told lawmakers in briefings they could not comment due to the ongoing probe.
“That is pathetic and completely inadequate,” he said, adding there had been no admission of US responsibility.
Republican lawmakers largely declined to comment. Senator John Kennedy told The New York Times on March 10, “I think we made a mistake. It was a terrible, terrible mistake.”
Analysts noted that previous cases involving civilian casualties prompted quicker and more detailed responses.
In August 2021, the Pentagon admitted within weeks that a drone strike in Kabul had mistakenly killed 10 civilians. In October 2015, US officials acknowledged within days that a strike on a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, was a US decision and apologized. In a 1991 bombing of a Baghdad shelter, US authorities immediately acknowledged civilian deaths.
Annie Shiel, a former State Department official now with the Center for Civilians in Conflict, said past cases often followed a pattern in which initial denials were later reversed after media reporting.
She said appointing an investigator outside the chain of command was “at least on paper a good start,” but added she would “absolutely” expect further acknowledgement while the probe continues.
Efforts to independently verify details have been hampered by restricted access to the site. A UN fact-finding mission said on March 17 it had requested access but was not allowed to visit.
Charles Blaha, a former State Department human rights official, said the administration’s silence could reflect reluctance to contradict the president after he blamed Iran.
He described that claim as “really far-fetched and very clearly not true,” adding that the response suggested a broader unwillingness to acknowledge negative developments in the war.
