The US missile strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed 168 school children was “a mistake,” Donald Trump has said. The February attack was not intentional, the US President told reporters at the G7 summit in France.
The US and Israel bombed Iran collectively on February 28 and assassinated their Supreme leader and other top officials. The same day, a US Tomahawk missile also struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Iran.
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“Nobody did that on purpose,” Trump said on Wednesday. He added that the situation was “under investigation.” “What about the thousands of soldiers they blew up? Mistakes are made. War is nasty,” he added.
Earlier, Iranian media shared a video showing a missile hitting a walled complex where the primary school was located. Smoke was visible from another part of the compound before impact.
Weapons analysts and independent investigators have said the missile shown in the footage was a Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon used by the US Navy. Some experts cited in reports, including Bellingcat researcher Trevor Ball, said the video is among the strongest indications yet that US fired the missile.
{{/usCountry}}Weapons analysts and independent investigators have said the missile shown in the footage was a Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon used by the US Navy. Some experts cited in reports, including Bellingcat researcher Trevor Ball, said the video is among the strongest indications yet that US fired the missile.
{{/usCountry}}ALSO READ | Iran releases photo of graves being dug for 160 girls killed in US-Israel attack
Kids aged 7-12 killed by the US
Iranian state media has said the strike killed nearly 180 people, most of them girls aged 7 to 12. The scene has been described as one of the deadliest incidents involving children in the US-Israeli war on Iran. Small coffins were later seen in mass funerals held in Minab.
Iran accused the US and Israel. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu denied involvement.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said it was a “war crime” and a “deliberate attack” rather than a mistake. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, he said more than 175 students and teachers were killed and called the attack a “crime against humanity.”
Trump has previously offered conflicting explanations, at times suggesting Iran may have been responsible due to misfired weapons, while at other moments rejecting claims of deliberate targeting.
Iran's ‘Minab 168’ tribute at FIFA WC
Iranian fans used their World Cup match against New Zealand to honour the 168 children killed in a US missile strike on an elementary school in Minab during the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“This is not a political shirt. It’s not just about sending a political message,” an Iranian supporter wearing a “Minab 168” shirt, told Al Jazeera, explaining that the tribute was meant to honour the children killed in the school strike.
Supporters also displayed “Minab 168” banners. Iran's World Cup team has been forced to base itself in Mexico after the US declined to host them.