Iran has publicly released pictures and names of two US officials behind the deadly Minab School bombing, which resulted in the killing of nearly 170 people on February 28.
The Iranian embassies in India, South Africa, and Nigeria released photos on Sunday identifying U.S Navy officers Leigh R. Tate, commanding officer of USS Spruance, and Jeffrey E. York, its executive officer.
In an X post, the embassy claimed the pair authorised Tomahawk missile launches on three occasions, resulting in the deadly February 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school, Minab in Southern Iran.
The post was captioned with, “Remember these two criminals. Leigh R. Tate, the commander, and Jeffrey E. York, the executive officer of the USS Spruance, who ordered the launch of Tomahawk missiles three times, killing 168 innocent children at a school in #Minab.”
In an appeal to people, holding the US responsible for the deadly school bombings, X posts were accompanied with pictures of the two US officials and their names.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School as a “calculated, phased assault” launched on the conflict’s opening day.
He claimed over 170 students and teachers perished in what he called a deliberate attack.
A U.S military investigation, however, attributes it to possible error. The New York Times reported that preliminary findings point to outdated intelligence data yielding faulty target coordinates for the strike.
The missile was intended for an adjacent Iranian military facility, once part of the same complex as the elementary school. Officials suggest faulty or outdated mapping data caused the school to be hit instead.
U.S military authorities note the investigation continues, with unresolved questions about why intelligence inputs escaped pre-strike verification.
Although Washington insists it avoids targeting civilian infrastructure and is investigating the incident.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, suggested Iran may bear responsibility, noting that Tehran’s munitions often suffer from inaccuracy.
In response to the US President’s claims, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei shared video footage of the Minab school attack on social media, accusing the United States of committing a war crime.
Various reports confirmed that the strikes were made by US Tomahawk missiles U.S officials acknowledged the weapon’s use targeting an adjacent IRGC base.
Meanwhile US has intensified its ground troops, 3,500 troops aboard USS Tripoli, around 2,500 Marines entering in CENTCOM’s operational zone, per U.S Central Command.
The Pentagon prepares for potential weeks-long ground operations in Iran, though President Donald Trump has yet to approve boots-on-the-ground deployment, according to The Washington Post, citing U.S. officials.
