Hegseth: US taking Minab girls school probe 'very seriously' — 165 children likely killed in US strike

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to questions at a Pentagon briefing about a deadly strike on a girls' school in Minab, Iran, saying the US is taking the probe 'very, very seriously' and investigates all incidents thoroughly. 'No nation takes more precautions to ensure there's never targeting of civilians,' Hegseth said. The Minab incident, which occurred earlier in the war, killed at least 165 people, mostly children, when an explosion destroyed a girls' school. Satellite images, expert analysis, a US official, and public information all suggest the explosion was likely caused by US airstrikes that also hit an adjacent compound associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Trump separately and erroneously claimed that Iran has access to the American Tomahawk cruise missile — which is actually the weapon most likely used in the strike. Hegseth cautioned against using 'open source information' to determine what happened. The Minab school incident is the single largest civilian casualty event of the war and is already generating significant international condemnation. The US has not formally accepted or denied responsibility. An investigation was announced on Day 7 (March 6) when US investigators initially assessed the strike was likely US-caused. Hegseth's 'very seriously' framing suggests the investigation has produced evidence the US is internally treating as confirming its own culpability.