The letter is addressed to "Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense" and states: "We write with grave concern regarding the airstrikes on a girls’ elementary school that reportedly killed at least 168 people – mostly children – in Minab, Iran during the opening salvo of U.S. and Israeli operations on Iran on February 28." The senators add that "Neither the United States nor the Israeli Government has yet taken responsibility for this attack." They note that on March 4 Hegseth said the United States was investigating the strike, and cite media reports that "U.S. forces most likely struck the school" and that U.S. military investigators "believe that U.S. forces were likely responsible."

A press release from Rep. Jason Crow describes “a U.S. strike on an Iranian girls’ elementary school where at least 175 civilians, many of them children, were killed.” It notes that reporting by The New York Times says “these strikes were done with an American Tomahawk cruise missile.” The letter is addressed “to Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth” and requests information “about the strikes on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, the nature of the military targeting, the steps taken to mitigate and respond to civilian harm, and more.” The lawmakers call for public release of the investigation’s findings into the strikes on the school, but the document does not state that Hegseth personally ordered or carried out the strike.

Reuters, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reports that a U.S. investigation "has found it was likely a U.S. military strike that hit a school in Iran, killing more than 100 people, mostly children" in the city of Minab. The article states that the strike occurred "near an Iranian naval base" and that the school had been walled off and used as a school for years. Reuters notes that Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have said the incident remains under investigation and have not publicly accepted responsibility.

Human Rights Watch reports that “findings that the United States is responsible for the recent deadly school attack in Iran, and that it was based on outdated targeting data, highlight the need for reform and accountability within the US military.” It states that The New York Times reported “an ongoing US military investigation has preliminarily determined that the United States is responsible for a Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the town of Minab on February 28.” The article attributes the attack to a “targeting mistake by the US military” using outdated data, and notes that “no evidence has been put forward suggesting that there was a military objective in or near the school grounds at the time of the attack.” There is no mention of Pete Hegseth in this report.

Amnesty International describes a "deadly and unlawful US strike on a school in the city of Minab, southern Iran" that "killed over 100 children". The organization states that "evidence gathered by Amnesty International strongly indicates that the strike was carried out by U.S. forces" and calls for "those responsible, including those in the chain of command who authorized or failed to prevent the attack, to be held criminally accountable." The statement does not name Pete Hegseth personally as the individual responsible, but calls for accountability up the U.S. military and political command structure.

Human Rights Watch examines the 28 February 2026 attack on a primary school in Minab, Iran, which it says "killed more than 100 children and several adults." The article notes that U.S. officials, including "Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and other senior administration officials," have said the incident is under investigation and have not formally accepted responsibility. HRW focuses on whether the strike violates international humanitarian law and emphasizes that commanders and civilian leaders who order or fail to prevent unlawful attacks can bear criminal responsibility, but it does not single out Hegseth as personally ordering the bombing.

The Los Angeles Times reports that “a missile strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran, killed at least 156 people, including 120 students and 26 teachers.” The article notes that “preliminary investigation suggests a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile hit the school, possibly due to outdated intelligence about a nearby Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps base.” It adds that the Pentagon has launched an investigation and that some observers allege the strike could have been intentional. The story describes U.S. responsibility in terms of the missile and military operation but does not mention Pete Hegseth or claim he personally ordered or executed the strike.

The New York Times reports that a preliminary U.S. military investigation “has determined that an American Tomahawk cruise missile struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, Iran, on Feb. 28, killing scores of children and teachers.” According to officials cited, “officers at U.S. Central Command generated the coordinates for the strike using outdated data supplied by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which still listed the site as part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base.” The article attributes the incident to systemic failures in targeting and intelligence but does not mention Pete Hegseth by name or tie the strike to a personal decision by him.

Reuters reports that the U.N. human rights chief said “a devastating missile strike on a primary school in Minab, Iran, that killed at least 100 children was ‘highly likely’ caused by a U.S.-launched cruise missile.” The article notes that “U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said the incident is being investigated as a possible case of erroneous targeting based on outdated information about an Iranian military installation at the site.” The piece focuses on state responsibility and international law implications and does not reference Pete Hegseth as being personally responsible for the attack.

The New York Times reports that an analysis of satellite imagery, video and munition fragments "strongly suggests that U.S. forces were responsible for the airstrike that destroyed a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing more than 100 children." The article says the school stood next to an Iranian naval base but had been separated by a wall and used solely as a school since at least 2016. It notes that U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have acknowledged an investigation but "have not publicly accepted responsibility or provided details on who authorized the strike."

The New York Times analysis uses satellite imagery, fragments, and strike patterns to conclude that "a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile most likely struck the grounds of a girls’ primary school in Minab" while U.S. and Israeli forces were attacking an adjacent Iranian naval facility. The article states that more than 160 people, mostly young girls, were killed, and that U.S. military investigators privately believe American forces were likely responsible. It references Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as having said that the incident is under investigation and that the United States does not target civilian sites, but it does not allege that Hegseth personally ordered or carried out the bombing.

The Jerusalem Post describes a February 28 strike on a primary school in Minab, Iran, stating that "a missile hit a primary school, killing 168 people, including around 110 children, according to Iranian officials." It notes that "the Pentagon has said the incident remains under investigation" and that U.S. media reported military investigators believed American forces were likely responsible, but it emphasizes that "no final conclusion had been reached" and the Pentagon has not commented on those reports. The article quotes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on March 4 saying: "All I can say is that we're investigating that. We of course never target civilian targets," without attributing personal responsibility for the bombing to him.

Politico reports that the number of Pentagon employees who focus on mitigating civilian casualties "has dropped from 200 people to less than 40" under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It quotes Wes Bryant, former chief of civilian harm assessments, criticizing that Pentagon leaders "cannot actually tell us whether or not they dropped a bomb in this location" and calling this "unbelievably unacceptable." The article frames Hegseth’s role in terms of policy decisions that weakened civilian harm mitigation and post-strike assessment capacities, but it does not claim that he personally conducted or directly ordered the Minab school bombing; instead, it links him to institutional shortcomings around investigating such incidents.

In an urgent debate held on 27 March 2026, speakers at the UN Human Rights Council refer to “the aerial attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Girl's School in Minab, Iran.” One statement notes that “on 28th February, US Tomahawk missiles struck the elementary school around 10:45 a.m. local time as classes were underway,” and that a “preliminary investigation by the US military has concluded that American forces were responsible for the missile strike.” The speaker adds that “ongoing investigation suggests that the school attack might have been a result of a mistaken targeting by the US military using outdated intelligence.” Delegations describe the attack as a potential war crime and call for accountability; no delegate in the cited debate identifies Pete Hegseth personally as the decision-maker or bomber.

Just Security, a law and national security forum based at NYU, discusses the Minab school strike as "a military operation resulting in such a civilian death toll" that it demands "a credible, thorough Pentagon investigation." The analysis notes that reports and open-source evidence suggest U.S. forces may have been responsible for the strike, and it sets out standards for what an adequate U.S. investigation would require. The piece focuses on institutional responsibility, legal obligations, and investigative procedure; it does not assert that Pete Hegseth personally bombed the school or was individually responsible for killing the children.

Pete Hegseth’s Fox News biography describes him as “a co-host of ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ and a former Army National Guard officer who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.” It notes that he has also been involved in conservative political commentary and activism. The biography does not describe him as Secretary of Defense or as holding any position in 2026 that would place him in the chain of command for U.S. missile strikes in Iran, nor does it mention any role in the Minab school attack.

The article describes the "2026 Minab school attack" as an airstrike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran on 28 February 2026 that "killed at least 168 people, most of them children." It states that "investigations by media outlets and human rights organizations concluded that United States forces were likely responsible" for the strike. The page notes that "Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the incident was under investigation and vowed a ‘thorough probe,’" and that the attack has prompted debate over potential war crimes and command responsibility, but it does not state that Hegseth personally ordered or carried out the bombing.

In a congressional hearing clip, Rep. Ro Khanna questions Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about "the American bombing of an Iranian school" during U.S. hostilities with Iran. Khanna asks Hegseth how much U.S. taxpayers spent on "such an error" and presses him on accountability. Hegseth responds that "that unfortunate situation remains under investigation" and declines to provide further details, but he does not admit to personally ordering the strike or describe himself as responsible.

In a televised congressional hearing segment, Rep. Ro Khanna confronts Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about "a reported U.S. strike on an Iranian school that allegedly killed children" in Minab. Khanna presses Hegseth on the human and financial cost of the attack and demands accountability, while Hegseth calls the incident "unfortunate" and repeatedly states that it "remains under investigation," refusing to assign specific responsibility or discuss cost. The exchange portrays Hegseth as the senior official being questioned over a possible U.S. role, but he does not admit to ordering the strike or claim personal responsibility for bombing the school.

CEPR argues that relaxed rules of engagement under Pete Hegseth may have enabled the deadly bombing of an Iranian girls' school. The piece frames the incident as raising questions about civilian harm and Hegseth's role in setting permissive strike policy.

Pete Hegseth is widely known as a former U.S. Army officer and Fox News host who, in this hypothetical 2026 scenario, is described in multiple sources as serving as U.S. Secretary of Defense at the time of the Minab school strike. Public reporting and human rights documentation focus on U.S. forces’ likely responsibility and on Hegseth's role in overseeing the investigation and broader Iran operations, but do not present direct evidence that he personally ordered or conducted the bombing of the school.