White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the birth of her second child via social media, sharing a photo of herself cradling her newborn daughter, Viviana, and noting the baby had arrived on May 1. As detailed by LADbible, the post described the family as enjoying their “newborn bubble.” The tone of the online response shifted sharply two days later when Iranian diplomatic accounts used the announcement as an opening to address the Minab school strike.
The Iranian embassy in Armenia posted a message to Leavitt on X referencing the February 28, 2026 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran. A US Tomahawk missile hit the school that morning, killing 156 people, including 120 students. Internal Pentagon inquiries, first reported by The New York Times, concluded that American forces likely struck the school unintentionally due to a targeting error involving outdated coordinates.
The Armenia embassy wrote: “Congratulations to you. Children are innocent and lovable.” It continued: “Those 168 children that your boss killed in the school in Minab, and you justified, were also children. When you kiss your baby, think of the mothers of those children.” The Iranian embassy in South Africa also posted a response, telling Leavitt that when her child grows up and reads history, she will be ashamed her mother served one of the most hated governments in history, adding that her hands are stained with the blood of the children of Minab.
The embassies directed their message at someone who had publicly dismissed Iranian social media posts
The exchange carries a particular edge given Leavitt’s prior comments on Iranian communication. Last month, when a journalist asked about Iranian social media posts mocking the administration, Leavitt cautioned against taking them at face value, stating that what Iran says publicly is often very different from what is communicated privately to US negotiators. Leavitt had also spent time pushing back against Iran-related reporting in the weeks surrounding the Minab strike.
Regarding the school strike itself, Leavitt has denied that the United States deliberately targeted civilians. During a March briefing, she stated that the Department of War was investigating the matter, that the US does not target civilians, and that the Iranian regime uses propaganda effectively. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth similarly stated at a Pentagon briefing that the military never targets civilian locations and that a thorough investigation was underway.
On the day of the strike, the school was hit by multiple missiles between 10:23 AM and 10:45 AM. A second strike followed the initial impact, and some accounts describe a third. The school had operated as a civilian institution for more than a decade and was located near a military complex. Preliminary findings indicated the targeting error originated with faulty information from the Defense Intelligence Agency, compounded by the military’s use of the Maven Smart System to streamline targeting during the war. Separate questions emerged over who was responsible for the Minab school bombing after Trump publicly claimed, without evidence, that Iran had carried out the strike.
The aftermath brought thousands of mourners to a mass funeral in Minab. The 156 dead included 26 teachers and several parents who had arrived to collect their children. An internal administrative probe, known as a 15-6, remains ongoing. The White House has been contacted for comment on the embassy messages.
Published: May 12, 2026 06:45 pm