U.S. Central Command head declines responsibility for Iran school strike

A top U.S. military commander declined to acknowledge American responsibility for a deadly strike on a school in Iran during a congressional hearing Tuesday, stating an ongoing investigation into the incident is complex. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, testified before the House Armed Services Committee that the school in Minab was located on an active Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) cruise missile base, complicating the inquiry.

The strike occurred on February 28, the first day of the war. Iranian state media reported the attack killed 73 boys, 47 girls, 26 teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, and another adult, though the death toll has been revised. U.S. media reports, citing preliminary assessments, have indicated the school may have been hit by an American Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon Iran does not possess.

Under questioning from Ranking Member Adam Smith, a Democrat, Cooper was pressed to acknowledge the mistake. Smith noted that in past incidents, the U.S. military has moved quickly to acknowledge errors even while investigations continued. "Can you, at this moment, acknowledge that that mistake was made, and that we were...