'Two Criminals': Iran Labels US Navy Officers Who Ordered 3 Missile Strikes Killing 168 Children In Minab School
Tehran, Iran: The Iranian embassy in South Africa on Saturday called Leigh R. Tate, the commander, and Jeffrey E. York, the executive officer of the USS Spruance, two criminals for ordering the launch of Tomahawk missiles three times, killing 168 innocent children at a school in Minab.
In an X post, the official account of the embassy called the US navy commanders ‘two criminals,’ asking, “Don’t they have children of their own?”
The Iranian embassies across the world have posted photos of the US navy officers branding them criminals. Human rights groups urge accountability as families mourn and investigations proceed amid escalating war.
On February 28, 2026, the first day of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, USS Spruance officers Commander Leigh R. Tate and Commander Jeffrey E. York allegedly authorized strikes on a school in the Iranian town of Minab, killing 175 children including over 100 girls aged 7–12, according to Iranian reports.
An investigation carried out by the US blamed outdated intelligence listing the school as a military target. However, Iran has called the attack a deliberate war crime.
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.
Don’t they have children of their own? pic.twitter.com/urVURioWb3— Iran Embassy SA (@IraninSA) March 28, 2026
