President Donald Trump placed responsibility for one of the deadliest civilian incidents of the Iran conflict on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying the strike that reportedly killed more than 100 Iranian schoolgirls was not intentional and was ultimately Hegseth's decision.
The comments came during a press conference at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, when Trump was asked about the attack on a girls' school in Iran that occurred during the opening phase of Operation Epic Fury.
"It's such a strange question to be asked at this stage because you're talking about a long time ago, but nobody did that on purpose," Trump said. "That was Pete's decision. Pete Hegseth is investigating it."
The remarks immediately shifted attention onto the defense secretary, who has faced growing scrutiny over civilian casualties linked to the Iran campaign. While Trump insisted the strike was accidental, he stopped short of taking responsibility for the operation, instead identifying Hegseth as the official responsible for the decision and the subsequent investigation.
The school strike has become one of the most controversial episodes of the conflict.
According to Iranian authorities, more than 100 girls were killed when missiles hit the educational complex during the early days of the U.S.-led military operation against Iran. Iranian state media has placed the death toll significantly higher, while independent verification remains difficult due to limited access to the site.
The Pentagon has acknowledged an ongoing investigation into the incident. Hegseth previously announced a review of the strike amid mounting international pressure and calls from lawmakers for greater transparency regarding civilian casualties.
Trump's comments mark one of the clearest instances yet of the president assigning responsibility for a wartime decision to a cabinet official.
The exchange occurred as Trump sought to focus attention on a recently announced agreement aimed at ending hostilities with Iran. Instead, questions returned to the school bombing and the administration's handling of civilian deaths.
Critics quickly seized on the president's remarks.
Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly called for a full accounting of what happened and whether intelligence failures, targeting errors or operational mistakes contributed to the tragedy. Human rights organizations have also demanded an independent investigation, arguing that the scale of the reported casualties warrants international scrutiny.
The White House has maintained that American forces do not intentionally target civilians and that any loss of innocent life is taken seriously.
The controversy comes as Hegseth continues to defend the administration's military strategy while overseeing multiple reviews related to civilian casualties during the conflict. It also places additional pressure on the Pentagon to release findings from its investigation, which could determine whether the strike resulted from faulty intelligence, human error or a breakdown in targeting procedures.
