A UN agency has launched an investigation into a strike on a girls’ school in Iran in February, which local authorities say killed 168 people, one of its members has confirmed to reporters.
Max du Plessis, a member of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, told a press conference in Geneva: “We’re at an early stage of that investigation.
"It’s clear to us that whatever happens in respect of such an event, given the innocent lives that have been lost, there is a critical need for such an investigation to be done and for an independent outcome to follow.”
Verified videos of the strike released online show a missile striking the school buildings, which sat next to a compound linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime’s repressive paramilitary force.
Washington and Tehran have traded blame for the incident, which is under investigation by the Pentagon.
Several military experts quoted by US media have claimed that the projectile seen in the video was an American Tomahawk missile, but others have disputed this, suggesting the impact was caused by misfiring Iranian munitions.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed an internal investigation was underway earlier this month, saying: “We’re investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we’re taking a look and investigating that.”
Several days later, though, President Trump suggested that Iran was at fault, saying: “In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran … they’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions.
"They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran.”
And, following Hegseth’s press conference, Reuters reported that the preliminary findings of the Pentagon’s probe suggested that the US was, in fact, responsible for the strike, potentially as a result of outdated targeting data.
Meanwhile, a new report in The Guardian, citing CIA officials, suggested that Trump’s claims regarding Iran being at fault were based on an initial intelligence assessment of the footage, which was subsequently revised and found that it was, in fact, a Tomahawk that hit the complex.
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.