Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Tuesday that a U.S. strike on an Iranian girls’ school, which killed about 175 people, was a mistake. He publicly apologized as questions increased about one of the deadliest civilian incidents linked to the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Kennedy told NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur, “It was terrible. We made a mistake.” He added, “We would never do that intentionally,” and mentioned that the Defense Department was investigating.
Kennedy’s comments were one of the clearest admissions from a prominent Republican that the strike, which took place on February 28, likely came from the United States.
The attack targeted the Shajarah Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, in Iran’s Hormozgan province. It occurred on the first day of the current U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iranian targets. Preliminary findings from a U.S. military inquiry suggest American forces may be to blame.
Asked Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., about the bombing of the girls’ school in Iran. “It was terrible. We made a mistake,” he said. “Other countries do that sort of thing intentionally, like Russia. We would never do that intentionally. I think the department is investigating it now,… pic.twitter.com/zKkRpVPAWU
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 10, 2026
The initial inquiry indicated that the strike resulted from a targeting error due to outdated intelligence, according to reports on the investigation. The school was next to a site linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but investigators found that the school had been clearly separate from the military compound for some time. Independent analysis mentioned in published reports identified fragments consistent with a U.S. Tomahawk missile.
President Donald Trump has not agreed with this explanation. He stated this week that he did not believe the United States was responsible and suggested that Iran might have caused the blast itself. The White House has said the issue is still under review. However, Kennedy disagreed with that view in his remarks. He expressed that he did not want to “hide behind” the investigation and believed the strike would be seen as “a horrible mistake.”
The strike has faced condemnation both in Washington and elsewhere. U.N. experts said last week they were shocked by the missile attack on the girls’ primary school, noting it reportedly killed at least 165 schoolgirls and injured many others. “There is no excuse for killing girls in a classroom,” the experts stated in a call for accountability and protection for children and schools during armed conflict.
“We’re not gonna be harassed by the New York Times who have put out a lot of articles on this” — Leavitt sneers at the New York Times for reporting on what by all accounts seems to have been a US strike that killed scores of elementary school students in Iran pic.twitter.com/mPa99F7SfZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 10, 2026
On Capitol Hill, Democratic senators demanded answers from the Pentagon, calling the reported deaths of schoolchildren “appalling and unacceptable under any circumstance.” Their statement called for a full and impartial review of what happened in Minab and requested the Defense Department explain how the target was chosen. Some Republicans have suggested that Congress should seek a clear accounting once the investigation concludes.
Reports on the death toll have differed among outlets and official statements, but various sources estimate it to be around 165 to 180. Most of the victims are described as children. Some estimates suggest the strike might have killed roughly 175 to 200 people. The Guardian reported that at least 175 people were killed, most of whom were children. Initially, reports suggested Israel was responsible for the strike, which occurred on the first day on the conflict.
Kennedy’s apology increased pressure on the administration as it seeks to manage the fallout from a strike that has become a political and military scandal less than two weeks into the war.
