Iran rejects US school strike claim as 'baseless fabrication'

Iran on Wednesday rejected US military claims about a reported missile strike on an elementary school in the southern city of Minab, calling Washington’s explanation “a baseless fabrication."

Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, accused US Central Command (CENTCOM) of falsely portraying the targeted Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School as part of a missile-launch facility.

"The claim by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) that the targeted #Shajareh_Tayyebeh Elementary School in #Minab was located within a "missile launch facility" is a baseless fabrication and an appalling lie," Baqaei said on US social media company X.

His remarks came after Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, told a House committee hearing that the school is located near an active IRGC (Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) cruise missile base, making the incident “more complex than the average strike,” and pledged transparency once the investigation concludes.

According to Iranian officials, the Feb. 28 strike by the US on the elementary school killed more than 170 people, mainly children.

"This shameless distortion is a clear attempt to obscure the severe reality of the 28 February missile attacks, which resulted in the tragic slaughtering of over 170 school children and their teachers," Baqaei said.

Baqaei characterized the strike as a “grave violation of international humanitarian law” and a “clear war crime,” insisting that US military commanders and political leaders responsible for the operation “must be held fully accountable under international law.”

"Targeting an active educational institution during school hours constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and is a clear war crime. The civilian nature of the site cannot be obscured by technical misrepresentations.

"The military commanders and United States authorities responsible for ordering and executing this catastrophic assault must be held fully accountable under international law," he added.

The developments come as regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely.