Iran has publicly identified two US Navy officers it holds responsible for a missile strike on a school in Minab that killed around 175 people, intensifying its accusations against Washington. The Iranian embassy in India, South Africa, and Nigeria released images of the officers and named them as Leigh R Tate, commanding officer, and Jeffrey E York, executive officer of the USS Spruance. In a post on X, the embassy alleged that the two officers authorized the launch of Tomahawk missiles on three occasions, leading to the deadly strike on February 28. The Iranian Embassy in India stated in a post on X: “Remember these two criminals. Leigh R Tate, the commander, and Jeffrey E York, the executive officer of the USS Spruance, who ordered the launch of Tomahawk missiles three times, killing 168 innocent children at a school in Minab.” Similarly, the embassy in South Africa shared a similar post questioning whether the officers had children of their own, asking, “Don’t they have children of their own?” The embassy in Nigeria also expressed outrage, wondering how the officers could sleep at night after their actions. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School as a “calculated, phased assault” carried out on the first day of the conflict. He claimed more than 175 students and teachers were killed in what he termed a deliberate attack. However, a US military investigation has pointed to a possible error. According to a report by The New York Times, preliminary findings suggested the strike may have resulted from outdated intelligence data used to determine target coordinates. The missile was reportedly intended for an Iranian military facility located next to the elementary school, which was previously part of the same complex.#iran #us_navy #uss_spruance #leigh_r_tate #jeffrey_e_york
