US Central Command Chief Brad Cooper Rejects Responsibility for Minab School Strike

Admiral Brad Cooper, head of United States Central Command, declined to accept responsibility for a Feb. 28 strike on a school in Minab, Iran, that killed about 170 people, most of them children, saying an investigation remains ongoing and that the school was located on an active base operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, making the probe “more complex than the average strike.”

“Since the opening US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, the war in Iran has reshaped the Middle East in real time, with brinkmanship over the Strait of Hormuz and a haphazard final push toward ceasefire”

CNN

Roya News and TRT World both tie the death toll to the same Minab attack, with TRT World saying it killed 73 boys, 47 girls, 26 teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, and another adult, while Roya News lists the same Feb. 28 attack as killing 73 boys, 47 girls, 26 teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, and another adult.

CNN

The dispute over responsibility also appears alongside competing death counts, with Common Dreams saying the school “killed more than 100 children,” while TRT World and Roya News describe the incident as leaving 155 or about 170 dead depending on the figure cited in the reporting.

Cooper’s comments came during questioning by Representative Adam Smith, who said similar incidents had previously been acknowledged quickly even while investigations were still underway, and Cooper said findings would be released once the probe is complete.

In the congressional hearing, Rep. Adam Smith told Cooper, “Eighty days on, we have not taken responsibility for that attack,” and he challenged the explanation by saying that in the past similar mistakes had been quickly acknowledged even if further investigation was necessary.

Cooper responded by emphasizing that the US “does not deliberately target civilians,” while also insisting that the school’s location on an active Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cruise missile base made the probe “more complex than the average strike.”

Common Dreams

Smith rejected Cooper’s framing, replying, “So that's a no,” and saying, “We will not take responsibility for something we very obviously did.”

The exchange was also described as part of a broader political and rights-based pressure campaign, with TRT World noting that Cooper promised to share results when the investigation was complete and with Common Dreams reporting that House Democrats filed impeachment proceedings against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the wake of the attack.

Beyond the Minab accountability fight, The Guardian reports that Donald Trump threatened “a big hit” if Tehran does not make a deal soon, saying the US may launch new attacks if Iran continues to refuse the significant concessions he wants before a deal can be struck to end the Middle East war.

“We are now closing the live blog for the day”

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Trump said he had called off a fresh wave of strikes that would have broken the ceasefire in place since early last month, and he set a limited window—“two or three days”—saying “we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon.”

The same Guardian account links the stakes to the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran continues to block most shipping in the strait while the US has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports, and it adds that the closure of the strait and the threat of further conflict has sent oil prices soaring, increasing inflation worldwide and threatening a global recession.

RFE/RL adds that Vice President JD Vance said the US is still pursuing a diplomatic deal but “it takes two to tango,” while also saying the US retains an “Option B” of restarting the military campaign to “achieve America's objectives,” and that Trump’s timeline for a deal was “two or three days” with “Maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, maybe early next week” mentioned as possibilities.