President Donald Trump is standing by his claim that Iran could be responsible for a deadly missile strike on a girls’ school even as U.S. authorities say they are still trying to determine who is to blame.
Trump said in a news conference Monday that Iran and other countries also use Tomahawk missiles like the one that struck the school in southern Iran in the initial wave of the U.S. and Israeli air assault on the country.
Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago that he hadn't seen video of the attack, which Iranian authorities have said about 175 people, mostly children.
“Well, I haven't seen it and I will say that the Tomahawk, which is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by, you know, is sold and used by other countries,” he said.
He then said that Iran “also has some Tomahawks” and he didn’t rule out that they struck the school.
“But whether it's Iran or somebody else, the fact that a Tomahawk, a Tomahawk, is very generic. It's sold to other countries. But that's being investigated right now.”
Neither Iran nor Israel are known to possess Tomahawks, a U.S.-made weapon, which is also used by Britain, Australia and the Netherlands.
The president had first claimed Iran could be responsible for the strikes on Saturday, telling reporters on Air Force One, “in my opinion and based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.”
Trump, who has offered shifting rationales for the attack on Iran as well as evolving statements about what it might take to end it, dodged a further question at his news conference Monday about the strike on the school — an incident that has drawn international condemnation.
“I just don't know enough about it,” he said.
“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, but I will certainly, whatever the report shows, I'm willing to live with that report,” he added.
The president also suggested the U.S. and may attack Iran’s ability to produce energy as it seeks to force the government to surrender. Israel has already begun striking fuel sites, a tactic that could further spook oil prices and damage the global economy.
“If we hit them, it's going to take many years for them to be rebuilt, having to do with electricity production and many other things,” Trump said. “So we're not looking to do that if we don't have to.”
“But they're the kind of things that are very easy to hit, but very devastating if they are hit. We are waiting to see what happens before we hit them.”
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