WANA (May 16) – Despite multiple international media reports documenting attacks on schools and medical centers in Iran during the US military aggression, American officials continue to deny responsibility for the strikes.

 

The head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) recently rejected reports of attacks on civilian sites in Iran during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, even as mounting evidence points to repeated bombings of schools and healthcare facilities across the country.

 

General Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East and parts of Central and South Asia, claimed there was “no indication” that American strikes had damaged schools in Iran.

 

His remarks came after Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York cited a report by The New York Times stating that at least 22 schools in Iran had been bombed, questioning Cooper over civilian casualties and attacks on educational institutions.

Images depicting the Minab School students who were killed in a strike are displayed in Tajrish Square in Tehran, Iran, May 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

In response, Cooper argued that preventing civilian casualties remains a priority for the US military and claimed that warnings had been issued ahead of operations. Gillibrand, however, challenged the statement, asking: “If warnings were given, then how did 22 schools end up being bombed?”

 

The CENTCOM commander further insisted that there was no evidence confirming such attacks and referred only to an “ongoing investigation” into civilian casualties, particularly regarding the strike on a school in Minab that reportedly killed at least 155 students.

 

Gillibrand also pressed Cooper on why the US military had failed to review reports published by The New York Times and other outlets documenting repeated strikes on civilian infrastructure. Cooper admitted that no such review had been conducted.

 

The senator responded by saying: “If civilian protection truly matters to you, and if you believe civilian casualties are inconsistent with the laws of war and human rights obligations, then why have you not investigated allegations that are publicly reported on the front page of major newspapers?”

 

Earlier, The New York Times published an investigative report confirming damage to 22 schools and 17 healthcare facilities in Iran, supported by satellite imagery showing widespread destruction. The report also noted that the actual scale of damage was likely far greater.

A view of debris following an Israeli and U.S. strike on Gandhi Hotel Hospital, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 2, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, at least 763 schools and 316 medical centers were damaged or destroyed during the military attacks carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime. More than 82,000 civilian structures were reportedly affected, while 17 Red Crescent bases and 94 ambulances and rescue vehicles were damaged in the strikes.

 

Meanwhile, the independent outlet Truthout reported that the United States and the Israeli regime systematically targeted academic institutions in Iran, describing the attacks on universities as deliberate.

 

Reports also indicate that following the publication of satellite images documenting the destruction, the Trump administration imposed restrictions on access to satellite imagery of Iran and other regions affected by the war — a move observers describe as an attempt to limit legal and media scrutiny over the attacks.