US defence secretary says investigation into strike on Iranian girls' school is still under way

WASHINGTON — US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, 20 October, that the United States is still investigating a strike on a school in southern Iran and will publish the results later, according to Indonesian news agency Antara.

Antara reported that Hegseth, who heads the Pentagon, spoke to journalists. It quoted him, in Indonesian translation, as saying the inquiry was continuing and that the US would release it when the time came.

"The investigation is still ongoing and when the time comes to release it, we will do so." — Pete Hegseth, US Defence Secretary, as reported by Antara

Hegseth gave no date for publication in the remarks as Antara reported them. The agency did not say what the investigation has found so far.

Report timing

Antara, citing Bloomberg, said US military officials would publish a report on the deadly strike on a girls' school in Iran after the US congressional elections, or possibly sooner. Bloomberg's report was dated Sunday, 18 October, according to Antara. Antara did not say whether Hegseth's comments addressed that timeline.

What is unconfirmed

Antara's report is the only source for this account. It does not include any statement from the Iranian government on Hegseth's remarks. It also does not say who carried out the strike beyond the Iranian government's claim about the weapon used.

According to Antara, the Iranian government said the strike was carried out with a Tomahawk missile. The agency did not report any US response to that claim. Antara did not say what the investigation is examining.

Background

Antara reported that the strike took place on 28 February, when the United States began a military operation against Iran that it said lasted months. The opening attack hit a school in Minab District in southern Iran, according to the agency.

Antara said more than 170 people were killed, most of them children. The report did not name a source for that figure or say how it was compiled.

A caption on an archive photo published with the Antara report describes Iranians gathering at a funeral on 20 March 2026 to remember the victims, most of them children. The caption refers to a "US-Israeli attack" on a girls' primary school in Minab, in Hormozgan province. The main text of the report attributes the opening strikes to the United States and does not mention Israel. The photo is credited to Anadolu.

Antara's report also links to two related items. One concerns Qatar's statement that negotiations between Iran and the US are continuing despite regional tension. The other concerns an Iranian accusation that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing the US towards a new war. Antara's text gives no details of either item.

The US has not yet published findings from its investigation, according to Antara.