For investigators still sorting through the wreckage of a bombed-out school in southern Iran, one central question remains unresolved: how a building filled with children ended up marked as a military target. Even as evidence has mounted that U.S. forces likely carried out the strike, President Donald Trump has continued to keep his distance, offering shifting explanations while stopping short of accepting full responsibility. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin during an event to announce a rollback of the 2009 Endangerment Finding in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on February 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. . (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Standing outside the White House on Wednesday, Trump was pressed by ABC correspondent Mary Bruce on whether he accepted responsibility after findings suggested the United States was at fault.  “A new report says that a military investigation has found that the United States struck the school in Iran,” Bruce yelled over the gaggle as Marine One chugged in the background. “As commander in chief, do you take responsibility for that?” Trump Allies Rush to Shut Down MTG After She Blasts Trump Over His Billion-Dollar-a-Day War — Then a Pentagon Leak Drops and Reveals She Wasn’t Even Close “That it’s what?” Trump asked, appearing confused, stepping closer to the reporter as if to challenge the premise.  Bruce raised her voice again, asking Trump if he took responsibility. “For what?” he asked, forcing her to clarify the question yet again. “For the strike on the school in Iran. A new report says a military investigation has found it was the United States that struck the school.” View on Threads At that point, Trump abruptly ended the exchange, saying, “I don’t know about it,” then moved on to avoid any follow-up. The exchange quickly spread across social media, where critics said the moment raised deeper questions about leadership and accountability. One post on X said: “Dodging responsibility after a military investigation likely found U.S. forces mistakenly struck a school that killed dozens of children isn’t leadership it’s denial. Leaders take accountability, especially when lives are lost.” “The GOP isn’t embarrassed by this total sociopath? This immature, toxic avoidance s–t? The silver lining-anyone who thinks he’s a good man/human is a litmus test,” one Threads user asked. Despite Trump’s denial, preliminary findings from an ongoing U.S. military investigation indicate that American forces likely carried out the Feb. 28 Tomahawk missile strike that destroyed the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, killing at least 175 people, most of them children.  View on Threads The emerging conclusion has raised difficult questions about accountability inside the Trump administration, especially as the president has repeatedly distanced himself from the incident even while evidence increasingly points to U.S. responsibility. U.S. officials and others familiar with the inquiry say the strike appears to have been the result of a targeting error during early attacks on an adjacent base used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy. According to the New York Times, officers at U.S. Central Command reportedly relied on outdated targeting data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which mistakenly identified the school building as a military facility. Investigators are still working to determine how the outdated information made its way into operational targeting systems and why it was not verified before the strike. Multiple agencies are involved in the targeting process, including the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which provides satellite imagery used to confirm potential targets. Although officials stress that the investigation remains ongoing, the preliminary finding has already cast a shadow over the U.S. military campaign against Iran. The bombing of a school filled with children is expected to rank among the deadliest known targeting mistakes by U.S. forces in decades. The site of the school helps explain how the error may have occurred. The building sits in the Iranian town of Minab on the same block as facilities used by the Revolutionary Guards Navy, which had been a key target of U.S. strikes aimed at disrupting Iranian maritime operations in the region. Years earlier, the building itself had been part of the base before eventually being converted into a civilian school. Satellite imagery shows the transformation clearly. Between 2013 and 2016, the area was fenced off from the rest of the base, watchtowers near the building were removed, and new entrances were added, the Times reported. Images also show playground areas painted onto asphalt and the exterior walls repainted bright colors, turning what had once been a military structure into a functioning school. Yet the targeting data sent to Central Command reportedly still labeled the building as part of the base. Officials involved in the investigation say it remains unclear exactly where the verification process broke down. While military officials have largely avoided public comment while the inquiry continues, Trump has repeatedly weighed in — at times offering explanations that contradict what investigators have found. During a weekend exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump argued that Iran might have been responsible for the strike despite the weapon used. “In my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” he said, adding, “They’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran.” But analysts quickly noted that the strike involved a Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon used primarily by the United States. Only two other countries — Britain and Australia — possess the missile, and neither is participating in the military campaign. By Monday, Trump softened his position somewhat when pressed again by reporters about why he was the only official in his administration suggesting Iran was responsible. “Because I just don’t know enough about it,” Trump answered, while falsely claiming that Iran might also have access to Tomahawk missiles. But just two days later, the president stated he was unaware of the matter entirely. Some questioned the president’s claim that he had no knowledge of the issue. Another wrote: THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE MILITARY DOESNT KNOW THAT IT INVESTIGATED A US STRIKE ON AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AFTER HE STARTED A WAR AND PUBLICLY CONCLUDED THAT IT IN FACT DID IT.Trump needs to be removed immediately. He’s unfit. One more added: “He’s the Commander in Chief and he claims he doesn’t know about this investigation? It’s on every news media outlet in pretty much the entire world. He’s either lying, or he’s not very good at his job. Which is it?” Still another user pointed to the moment itself as revealing. “When asked directly about responsibility for a deadly U.S. strike, the response was, “I don’t know about that.” That pretty much says it all. That’s not accountability. It’s avoidance.” Inside the Pentagon, the controversy surrounding the strike has been compounded by changes to civilian-protection oversight offices. According to Politico, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reduced staffing at several Pentagon offices that historically helped track civilian casualties and investigate incidents involving potential harm to civilians. Officials familiar with the changes say those teams have been cut by roughly 90 percent, leaving only a handful of personnel responsible for reviewing civilian harm incidents during one of the largest U.S. bombing campaigns in decades. Human rights groups and some defense officials warn that the reductions could make it harder to investigate mistakes like the school strike and prevent similar tragedies in the future. Trump also had a noteworthy reaction when a reporter asked him about a group of Iraqi lawmakers who yelled “death to America” during a parliamentary session Saturday. “What is your response to them? What is your response to the Iraqi government?” one reporter asked. “That’s not a nice question,” Trump replied. President Trump is asked for his response after Iraqi MPs in parliament reportedly shouted "Death to America, Death to Israel" today. Trump: "That's not a nice question." pic.twitter.com/TZ7OEnIRMg— The American Conservative (@amconmag) March 11, 2026 ‘He’s Unfit’: Trump Tries a Slick Power Move to Bully a Reporter — But One Question Stops Him Cold and Suddenly He’s the One Squirming ...read more read less