White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Trump administration is not happy with what she described as “harassment” from The New York Times. Her comments were about ongoing coverage of a deadly missile strike that destroyed a girls’ school in Iran, which many media outlets have suggested was likely carried out by the United States.
Leavitt responded to a question about why President Trump suggested Iran might have Tomahawk missiles, when only a small number of countries, including the US, actually possess them. “Frankly, we’re not going to be harassed by The New York Times, who’s been putting out a lot of articles on this, making claims that have just not been verified by the Department of War to quickly wrap up this investigation, because The New York Times is calling on us to do so,” she said.
The Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab was bombed on February 28, killing scores of people, mostly girls aged seven to 12. UNESCO called it a “grave violation” of international law. According to Mediaite, Trump said Iran was responsible but offered no evidence, and US military spokespeople have only said they are “investigating” the bombing.
A growing body of evidence points toward a US strike on the Minab school
The school was located next to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval base. Satellite imagery shows it had been walled off from that complex for at least nine years and had clear signs of being a school, including colorful murals and sports fields. For more on how Iran, Israel, and the US have each blamed one another for the massacre, the back-and-forth has been closely followed.
Videos from Iranian social media show the destroyed school and thick smoke rising from the direction of the IRGC base. Satellite images from March 4 confirmed four other destroyed buildings inside the adjacent IRGC compound as well.
On March 8, Iranian state media released a video of a missile hitting Minab. The investigative group Bellingcat verified it and confirmed the missile struck the IRGC compound next to the school. Munitions experts identified it as a Tomahawk. NR Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services, said, “Given the belligerents, that indicates it is a US strike, as Israel is not known to possess Tomahawk missiles.”
On March 10, Iranian state media published photos of missile debris showing logos from US defense contractors Globe Motors and Ball Aerospace and Technologies, along with the words “Made in the USA.” The New York Times found serial numbers consistent with US Department of Defense markings. Munitions expert Trevor Ball identified the fragments as parts of a US Tomahawk missile.
Shortly after the bombing, viral images claimed to show a misfired Iranian missile. Trump’s explanation drew significant attention, and his confusing remarks that stopped a reporter mid-sentence highlighted how unclear the administration’s account has been.
Those photographs were taken 994 miles away in Zanjan, where snow-covered mountains are visible in the background, nowhere near Minab’s warm southern coastline. Trump has not provided any additional evidence of an Iranian misfire.
Published: Mar 11, 2026 01:57 pm