‘I’m Willing to Live With It’: Trump Signals Readiness to Accept Fallout of Deadly Iran Strike That Killed 100+ School Girls

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to accept whatever a Pentagon investigation uncovers regarding a strike that killed around 170 people, including more than 100 students, at a girls’ school in Minab, Iran.

The incident, which happened on February 28 during the early stages of US-Israeli operations, has caused outrage around the world and prompted concerns about the potential deployment of a Tomahawk missile manufactured in the United States. 

Trump’s remarks raise questions

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump initially said he did not “know enough” about the strike. He also controversially suggested that Iran itself might have carried out the attack using a Tomahawk missile, a weapon Iran does not possess.

“Whatever the report shows, I’m willing to live with that report,” he added.

During the exchange, a reporter challenged the claim. “NOW — REPORTER: "You just suggested that Iran somehow got its hands on a tomahawk and bombed its own elementary school on the first day of the war. But you're the only person in your government saying this. Even your Defense Secretary wouldn't say that when he was asked,”

US investigating strike

On the day of the strike, video of Tomahawk missile launches was made public by the US military's US Central Command. Senior officers also confirmed that early salvos aimed several locations across southern Iran. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed that an investigation is in progress and stated that the US does not purposefully target schools.

“The Department ⁠of War would be investigating that if that was our strike, and I would refer your question to them,” Rubio told reporters.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth also addressed the issue during a briefing. “We’re investigating that. We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we’re taking a look and investigating that.”

The Pentagon referred questions from Reuters to US Central Command. Its spokesperson, Captain Timothy Hawkins, said: “It would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”

The White House did not comment directly on the probe, but press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Reuters: “While the Department of War is currently investigating this matter, the Iranian regime targets civilians and children, not the United States of America.”

School located near IRGC compound

On the first day of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, the girls' school in Minab, in southern Iran, was attacked. The campus is situated next to a property run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a potent military group that answers directly to Iran's Supreme Leader, according to archived versions of the school's official website. US authorities are still conducting their probe.