Pete Hegseth made a rare show of dissent on Saturday, failing to respond to boss Donald Trump’s claims about the ongoing conflict with Iran and being completely sidelined for disloyalty.
When asked by reporters aboard Air Force One about reports of a joint Israeli-American attack on an Iranian girls’ school in the Middle Eastern country, Trump flatly dismissed the reports.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump and Hegseth didn’t seem to get their side of the story straight. /Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
“Is that so, Mr. Hegseth?” one reporter pressed the Pentagon chief, who was standing behind Trump.
“We’re certainly looking into it,” Hegseth said, appearing unwilling to blindly support Trump’s claims. “But the only one targeting civilians is Iran,” he added.
“We think it was Iran who did it,” Trump interjected and repeated. He then undercut Hegseth’s argument, saying the Iranian military’s targeting was “grossly inaccurate.”
“They don’t have any accuracy,” he continued. “Iran did this.”
In the early hours of Saturday, February 28, as the conflict entered its second week, the Shajareye Tayabeh girls’ school in the southern city of Minab was hit by three missiles.
The strike’s death toll is believed to be between 165 and 180, the vast majority of whom were girls aged 7 to 12. On March 3, a funeral was held for the victims.
Iranian state media also claimed that two other schools in Parand, southwest of the capital Tehran, were attacked.
Donald Trump speaks to the media as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (right) and Special Envoy Steve Witkopf (center) look on. /Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
The Pentagon had previously declined to comment on the matter, saying only that it was “investigating.”
Preliminary assessments suggested U.S. forces may have been responsible for the attack, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. However, the investigation is ongoing and the assessment is provisional and subject to change.
A combination of satellite images shows the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, Iran, before (above) and after it was attacked in the conflict between the United States and Iran. / VANTOR AND 2026 PLANET LABS PBC / via REUTERS
The New York Times concluded in a separate analysis that U.S. forces “most likely carried out the attack.” They reported that the attack on the school, which is in close proximity to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base, was a confirmed target due to either a weapons malfunction or a massive intelligence failure.
Asked about the incident, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told Fox News on Saturday, “We don’t target civilians.”
“Sometimes we have accidents,” Danon said. “I am not aware of this specific incident. The Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. Army are investigating the matter.”
“I’m sure they will issue a report, but we regret the civilian casualties.”
Israel does not target civilians, a refrain often repeated by the Israeli government during its ongoing bombing of Gaza, which has so far killed at least 75,000 people and injured more than 170,000.
According to UNICEF, at least 20 schools and 10 hospitals have been damaged in Iran since Operation Epic Fury began.
Although the Trump administration has said the conflict will be short-lived, Trump has since said he won’t “get tired” of it and expects the conflict to last at least four to five weeks.
Hundreds of people have been killed in Iran, including at least 165 schoolgirls. /Majid Asgharipur/Via Reuters
In response to the crisis, U.S. fuel prices have soared, hampering global oil flows. Meanwhile, airlines have warned that flight prices will soon rise as jet fuel prices rise. Other goods and services may be added as the conflict continues.
Former Fox News anchor Hegseth told reporters on Monday that the conflict “will take a toll” and that “war is hell.”
“No silly rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically correct war,” the 45-year-old Pentagon chief said.
Just a week after launching a war in the Middle East, Trump has launched a new false effort to secure the Western Hemisphere. /Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Earlier, Trump published a self-congratulatory post on the Truth Society, promising to continue to bring “hell” to Iran.
“Iran is going to be hit very hard today!” Trump wrote. “Because of Iran’s egregious behavior, there are areas and groups of people that were not being considered for targeting until this moment, where total destruction and inevitable death is being seriously considered.”