In a rare show of disagreement, Pete Hegseth failed to echo boss Donald Trump’s claim about the ongoing conflict in Iran on Saturday—and was completely sidelined for his disloyalty.
When asked by journalists aboard Air Force One about reports claiming the Iranian girls’ school that was hit during joint Israeli-U.S. strikes on the Middle Eastern country was attacked by the U.S., Trump dismissed them outright.
“Is that true, Mr. Hegseth?” a reporter pressed the Pentagon head, who was standing behind Trump.
“We’re certainly investigating,” Hegseth said, appearing unwilling to blindly back Trump’s claim. “But the only side that targets civilians is Iran,” he added.
“We think it was done by Iran,” Trump jumped in to repeat. He then undercut Hegseth by saying the Iranian military is “very inaccurate” in its targeting.
“They have no accuracy whatsoever,” he continued. “It was done by Iran.”
The Shajareye Tayabeh girls’ school in the southern city of Minab was struck by three missiles in the early hours of Saturday, Feb. 28, during the opening salvo of the conflict now entering its second week.
The death toll from that strike is thought to number between 165 and 180 people, the vast majority of whom were girls aged between 7 and 12 years old. Funerals for the victims were held on March 3.
Iranian state media has also claimed that two additional schools were hit in Parand, southwest of the capital Tehran.
The Pentagon has previously refused to comment on the matter, saying only that it is “investigating.”
According to two anonymous U.S. officials, preliminary assessments reportedly show that American forces are likely responsible for the strike. Investigations are ongoing, however, and the assessment is tentative and subject to change.
The New York Times, in a separate analysis, concluded that the U.S. military was “most likely to have carried out the strike.” They reported that the school was immediately beside an IRGC naval base, a confirmed target, and that it was either hit due to a weapons malfunction or a massive intelligence failure.
When questioned about the incident, Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon told Fox News on Saturday that “we do not target civilians.”
“Sometimes we have accidents,” Danon said. “I don’t know about this particular incident. It’s being investigated by the IDF and by the U.S. troops.”
“I’m sure they will issue a report, but we regret the loss of any civilians.”
That Israel does not target civilians is a line often repeated by the Israeli government during its ongoing bombardment 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.
While the Trump administration had advised the conflict would be brief, Trump has since stated that he would not “get bored” with it and that he expects it to last for at least four to five weeks.
Already, fuel prices have soared in the U.S. in response to the crisis, which has hampered the global flow of oil. Meanwhile, airlines are cautioning that flight prices will soon rise in line with jet fuel prices. Other goods and services are likely to increase as the conflict drags on.
Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, told reporters on Monday that the conflict “will include casualties” and that “war is hell.”
“No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically correct wars,” the 45-year-old Pentagon chief said.
Earlier, Trump promised to continue delivering “hell” to Iran with a self-congratulatory post to Truth Social.
“Today Iran will be hit very hard!” Trump wrote. “Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.”
