Iran Accuses US Officers of Deadly School Strike

Iran has accused two U.S. Navy officers of authorizing a missile strike that killed more than 170 people at an elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28, the opening day of a broader conflict in the Middle East.

The strike targeted the Shajareh Tayyebeh school, where Iranian officials reported that 175 students and teachers died. Other accounts place the death toll at 168 children, with additional teachers among the casualties. Iranian embassies in several countries, including India, South Africa and Nigeria, released images of the officers on social media platforms, identifying them as Leigh R. Tate, commanding officer of the USS Spruance, and Jeffrey E. York, its executive officer. The posts alleged that the officers ordered the launch of three Tomahawk cruise missiles, which struck the school and resulted in the deaths.

The incident occurred amid initial U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iranian targets, including sites linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Preliminary findings from a U.S. military investigation indicate the missiles were intended for a nearby military facility, which the school building had previously been part of. Officials...