Iran congratulates Karoline Leavitt on baby's birth with bombed school reference
Karoline Leavitt's post announcing the birth of her daughter drew a sharp reply from the Iranian Embassy in Armenia. The embassy used the post to point to the Minab school bombing.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's post announcing the birth of her baby daughter was met with a sharp response from Tehran, which extended congratulations to her but also used the occasion to call out US President Donald Trump over the deadly bombing of a school in the Iranian city of Minab earlier this year.
The bombing had claimed the lives of more than 150 people, including many children. The Iranian message came as a response to Leavitt's post on X where she shared the first photo of her newborn.
"On May 1st, Viviana aka "Vivi" joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love," the key Trump aide said in the post on Thursday, May 7.
"She is perfect and healthy, and her big brother is joyfully adjusting to life with his new baby sister. We are enjoying every moment in our blissful newborn bubble," the White House official added.
She also expressed gratitude to everyone who reached out to her with prayers during the pregnancy. "I truly felt them throughout the entire experience. God is Good," she said in the post.
Responding to Leavitt's post on Saturday, May 9, the Iranian Embassy in Armenia alleged that Leavitt "justified" the strike that hit a school in Iran amid the February 28 coordinated US-Israeli aerial campaign that sparked the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The diplomatic mission said, "Congratulations to you. Children are innocent and lovable. 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."
Before leaving for her maternity leave last month, Leavitt, in her role as the White House Press Secretary, had emerged as one of the key faces aggressively pushing the Trump administration's pro-war stance.
In March, while dealing with a press question on the US's alleged involvement in the Minab school bombing, Leavitt had defended Washington by saying that the US does not target civilians.
While the US has not disclosed any official findings about the attack, a Pentagon probe has reportedly revealed that the bombing was the result of a supposed targeting mistake arising from the usage of outdated data by American forces.