Investigation blames US for fatal Iran school strike

A preliminary military investigation in the United States has reportedly concluded that an American missile strike was responsible for the deadly

A preliminary military investigation in the United States has reportedly concluded that an American missile strike was responsible for the deadly attack on a school in Iran earlier this year. The incident, which caused heavy civilian casualties, is now being examined as a possible targeting mistake during military planning.

According to officials familiar with the initial findings, the strike took place on February 28 when a Tomahawk cruise missile hit the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building in the city of Minab. Iranian authorities said the attack killed at least 175 people, most of them children, making it one of the deadliest incidents involving civilian casualties in recent years.

The preliminary inquiry suggests the strike may have occurred due to incorrect target coordinates used by planners at United States Central Command. The report indicates that the coordinates were based on outdated intelligence reportedly provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which led to the school being mistakenly identified as a military target.

Iranian officials had earlier accused the United States of carrying out the strike and released video footage of the attack along with fragments believed to be from US-made missiles. These claims were initially disputed by American authorities, who said the incident was still under investigation.

At one point, Donald Trump suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible for the bombing, claiming that Iranian munitions had struck the building. However, no evidence was publicly presented to support that assertion.

The Pentagon has not confirmed the findings of the preliminary investigation and has stated only that the incident remains under review.

Satellite images of the site reportedly show that the school building had once been located within a larger complex linked to the naval wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, the facility had been separated from the surrounding military area for several years and displayed clear signs that it was functioning as an educational institution, including colourful murals and sports fields.