The US president has claimed the “most powerful” yet “generic” cruise missile is used by many countries, including Iran
US President Donald Trump has suggested that Iran could have carried out the deadly strike on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab using a Tomahawk cruise missile – a weapon system operated exclusively by the United States in the current conflict.
The February 28 attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school killed more than 160 people, most of them girls aged between seven and 12, making it the deadliest single incident of the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. The school sits next to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility that was targeted during the same wave of strikes.
Video footage geolocated by multiple media outlets appears to show a Tomahawk missile striking the naval compound next to the school. Asked by reporters whether Washington would accept responsibility, Trump instead suggested the missile could have been used by Iran or “somebody else.”
“Well, I haven’t seen it,” Trump said. “And I will say that the Tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around… it’s sold and used by other countries, you know that. And whether it’s Iran, who also has some Tomahawks – they wish they had more. But whether it’s Iran or somebody else… the fact that a Tomahawk is very generic, it’s sold to other countries, but that’s being investigated right now.”
Trump did not provide any evidence that Iran possesses Tomahawk missiles or the means to launch them. The long-range cruise weapon – capable of flying roughly 1,000 miles at low altitude to evade air defenses – is manufactured by Raytheon and primarily deployed by the US Navy from warships and submarines. Just a handful of US allies, including the UK and Australia, operate the system, while the Netherlands and Japan are in the process of acquiring the missiles.
Just days ago, Trump had directly accused Tehran of destroying the school with its own “very inaccurate” weapons.
Pressed again about the strike on Monday, Trump acknowledged he did not know enough about the incident and said he would accept the results of the ongoing investigation.
“It’s something that I was told is under investigation… but Tomahawks are used by others,” he reiterated.
The Pentagon has said the incident is under review. Officials cited in US media reports have suggested the school may have been hit accidentally, possibly due to outdated intelligence or targeting errors.
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