One of President Trump’s strongest allies on Capitol Hill said he believes the U.S. was responsible for the Feb. 28, 2026, bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Iran that killed an estimated 160 to 180 people, mostly children.
Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, described the incident as a “terrible mistake” this week on CNN’s “The Arena.”
“We’re investigating, but I’m not going to hide behind that,” he said. “I think that it was a terrible, terrible mistake.”
His comments run counter to President Trump’s suggestion that Iran was responsible for the bombing due to “inaccurate munitions.”
On Wednesday, the Pentagon said the investigation into the incident is continuing.
“The investigation may prove me wrong. I hope so (but) the kids are still dead,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I wish it hadn’t happened. I’m sorry it happened.”
He said the only possible explanation is that the bombing was an unintentional mistake.
“When you make a mistake, you ought to admit it,” Mr. Kennedy told CNN. “Most people understand that no one’s perfect. I don’t think our men and women who are fighting for us did it intentionally. I’ll never believe that.”
The school is located in Minab, a city in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan. It is about 50 miles east of the major naval base in Bandar Abbas overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. More critically, it is adjacent to the Sayyid al-Shuhada military complex, which serves as the headquarters for the Asif Brigade of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy.
CBS News reported that the school may have been struck as a result of inaccurate intelligence that identified it as part of the nearby military complex.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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