US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said American forces would not deliberately strike a school after reports of mass casualties in Iran.
Iranian state media claimed more than 160 people died in a strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab on Saturday. The incident marked the deadliest reported event since the US and Israel launched attacks on Tehran.
Speaking in Washington, Rubio said the United States would investigate if its forces carried out the strike. He referred further questions to the Defense Department. He stressed that the US does not intentionally target schools.
The United States Department of Defense and United States Central Command did not immediately comment. Over the weekend, Central Command said it was reviewing reports of possible civilian harm.
The strike drew condemnation from UNESCO and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. International humanitarian law classifies deliberate attacks on schools or hospitals as war crimes.
At the United Nations, Israeli ambassador Danny Danon questioned the reports. Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims.
The conflict began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Tehran and has since expanded amid Iranian retaliation.
