‘Remember these two criminals’: Iran names US officers responsible for Minab school strike

“Remember these two criminals. Leigh R. Tate, the commander, and Jeffrey E. York, the executive officer of the USS Spruance, who ordered the launch of Tomahawk missiles three times, killing 168 innocent children at a school in #Minab,” the post on X read.Earlier this month, a precision strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killed at least 165 people, according to reports. US and Israeli forces carried out the attack on the first day of Operation Epic Fury, targeting the school simultaneously with a strike on a nearby naval base operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). US media indicated that the school was damaged as part of coordinated precision operations against military installations in the area.According to The New York Times, official US statements targeting naval facilities near the Strait of Hormuz, where the IRGC base is located, indicate that American forces were the likely perpetrators of the school strike. CBC News reported that the damage was caused by a precision airstrike on a military complex adjacent to the school, noting that the building was part of an IRGC installation.Meanwhile, a preliminary US military investigation found that the missile strike which killed scores of children at the outset of the conflict, was likely the result of an American targeting error, highlighting the possibility of misidentification amid operations against nearby military facilities.The missile strike on the school had become a major controversy in the early days of the conflict. Iranian state media reported funerals for at least 165 victims, including students, after the attack occurred during the school’s morning session. Broadcast images showed mourners gathered over coffins draped in the Iranian flag, some bearing photographs of children. President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the United States and Israel for the strike, though Israel has denied involvement, with military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani stating there was “no connection between the IDF and whatever happened in that school.”In Washington, the incident drew growing scrutiny. More than 45 Democratic senators have written to defence secretary Pete Hegseth, seeking clarity on whether the US was responsible and what precautions were taken before targeting the building. Lawmakers also questioned recent cuts to Pentagon programs designed to reduce civilian casualties, including initiatives at US Central Command and the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, established in 2022 to prevent harm to civilians during military operations.