Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has sidestepped questions about Donald Trump’s ever-shifting stories over a strike on an elementary school in Iran that reportedly killed 175 civilians, most of them children.
The incident has drawn international scrutiny and political pressure on the administration, with Trump claiming on Sunday that Iran was responsible for the strike—despite video analysis and satellite imagery suggesting the blast was likely caused by an American Tomahawk missile targeting a nearby Revolutionary Guard facility.
Further confusion ensued on Monday, when Trump was cornered about the matter by New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh, who asked the president why he was the only person in his administration insisting Iran was to blame.
“Because I just don’t know enough about it,” the 79-year-old finally admitted, in stark contrast to his definitive response the day before. “I think it’s something that I was told is under investigation.”
“But Tomahawks are used by others, as you know. Numerous other nations have Tomahawks; they buy them from us,” Trump added, omitting the fact that Iran is not one of the nations that do so.
“But I will certainly, whatever the report shows, I’m willing to live with that report.”
The issue was expected to be addressed on Tuesday, when Hegseth and General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided an update on the war as it entered its 11th day.
But in a press corps stacked with right-wing outlets and MAGA influencers, the Pentagon chief was able to avoid scrutiny over the matter as he pivoted to criticizing Iran.
“They target civilians. We do not. And I can tell you this—this administration and this Pentagon focuses on that very, very closely,” Hegseth said.
A female journalist could then be heard shouting a question about whether Iran had Tomahawk missiles.
However, the defense secretary ignored this and instead called on another reporter in the room, who asked a different question about whether American troops involved in the campaign had the protection and resources they needed as the mission continued.
“I think there’s one thing I can sleep quietly at night knowing: is that we’re giving every resource humanly possible to our troops on the front lines to ensure they’re protected,” Hegseth replied.
Hegseth then called on one last reporter, who asked whether the U.S. would play a role in the aftermath of the war.
“Ultimately, the aftermath is going to be in America’s interests, our interests,” he said.
The lack of an explanation on Tuesday was not lost on political observers watching the briefing.
“UNF---INGBELIEVABLE,” wrote former Republican turned Meidas Touch editor-in-chief, Ron Filipkowski.
“In their remarks, neither Pete Hegseth nor Dan Caine this morning addressed the girls school that was bombed. They did not take A SINGLE QUESTION about it from people they called on in the room loaded with right-wing hacks.”
The shake-up of the press corps at the Pentagon took place last year, when Hegseth required reporters to sign off on new rules governing access and information gathering to obtain a badge.
Many traditional national security reporters refused to do so, allowing the expansion of MAGA-friendly outlets such as Lindell TV (run by conspiracy theorist and My Pillow Guy chief Mike Lindell), Breitbart News, Newsmax and the Gateway Pundit.
![My Pillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell laughs as he greets reporters while announcing his run for Governor of Minnesota to a camera streaming to LindellTV Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025 at his company's warehouse in Shakopee, Minn. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE • anthony.souffle@startribune.com](https://www.thedailybeast.com/resizer/v2/BLDJGW2WCZCM3OJPIGJ5TOHMWA.jpg?auth=373b1bc4f49988637dd77aee55021deeeddf2d1b30e119e8a7b5dcb31139f14c&width=800&height=449)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described Trump’s explanation for the school strike as “beyond asinine.” And in the absence of clear answers, six Democratic senators are now calling for a Congressional investigation into the strike on the elementary school.
Veteran Fox News military analyst Jennifer Griffin also blasted Trump’s explanation on Monday, suggesting the president is well aware the U.S. may have killed schoolchildren during one of its missile strikes against Iran.
“The U.S. has Tomahawks. Tomahawks have to be fired from either submarines or from warships,” Griffin said.
“The Brits and the Australians have Tomahawks, but they’re not part of this conflict. And then you also have the Japanese, who are in a testing phase. So it seems highly unlikely that it would be anyone’s Tomahawk other than a U.S. Tomahawk that hit that school.”
Tuesday’s briefing also deepened confusion about how long the war in Iran could last.
“Our will is endless,” Hegseth told reporters, before adding in the same breath: “But what I want the American people to understand is this is not endless.”
The comments come after Hegseth told 60 Minutes that the U.S. was just “getting started,” only for Trump to come out hours later to declare that the conflict could end “very soon” as soaring oil prices resulted in members of his administration hitting the panic button over the political fallout.
Then, on Monday evening, Trump made a furious Truth Social post that threatened even more aggressive action if Iranian leaders continue to choke off oil tanker traffic.
Hegseth also insisted on Tuesday that the mission was “not about nation building,” in contrast to what Trump told reporters on Monday.
“This is the beginning of building a new country,” the president declared.
