Pentagon Investigation Confirms US Strike Killed 175 at Iranian Girls School

A preliminary military investigation has found the United States responsible for a deadly Tomahawk missile strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed at least 175 people, mostly children, due to outdated intelligence data.

Faulty Intelligence Led to Deadly Strike

A preliminary Pentagon investigation has concluded that the United States was responsible for the February 28 missile strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, that killed at least 175 people, most of them children. The investigation found that US Central Command officers created target coordinates using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, according to sources briefed on the findings.

The strike occurred on the opening day of joint US-Israeli military operations against Iran. American forces were targeting a nearby Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base that had once extended onto the school grounds, which had since been walled off and converted into a functioning elementary school with bright murals and play areas.

Evidence Points to American Tomahawk Missile

Multiple independent investigations by news organizations and weapons experts have identified the weapon as an American Tomahawk cruise missile. Video footage released by Iranian state media shows what appears to be a Tomahawk striking the area, while photographs of missile fragments display clear ‘Made in USA’ markings and components from Ohio-based Globe Motors and Colorado-based Ball Aerospace.

The United States is the only country involved in the current conflict that possesses and operates Tomahawk missiles. Military analysts noted that the precision of the strikes – hitting seven buildings within the compound – bore the hallmarks of American targeting capabilities.

Trump’s Shifting Claims Contradict Evidence

President Trump initially blamed Iran for the attack, claiming aboard Air Force One that ‘it was done by Iran’ because ‘they are very inaccurate with their munitions.’ However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, standing beside him, declined to endorse this claim, stating only that the Pentagon was ‘investigating.’

When pressed by reporters about why he was the only administration official blaming Iran, Trump later admitted, ‘I just don’t know enough about it.’ He had previously claimed that Iran possessed Tomahawk missiles, despite military experts confirming that only the US, UK, Australia, Japan, and the Netherlands have access to these weapons.

School Separated from Military Base Years Ago

Satellite imagery analysis reveals the school was separated from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval base between 2013 and 2016 by a wall and given its own entrance. The facility had been operating as a civilian elementary school for approximately 15 years, according to local officials and parents.

Former Pentagon civilian harm adviser Wes Bryant described the targeting as likely resulting from ‘target misidentification,’ suggesting US forces were unaware that a large number of civilians were present in what their outdated intelligence showed as a military facility.

International Condemnation and Calls for Investigation

The strike has drawn widespread international condemnation, with UNESCO calling it ‘a grave violation’ of international humanitarian law. United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk expressed ‘significant concerns’ about whether the strikes complied with international humanitarian law.

Senate Democrats have sent a letter to Hegseth demanding answers about civilian harm mitigation measures and the role of artificial intelligence in target selection. Republican Senator John Kennedy called it ‘a terrible, terrible mistake,’ while acknowledging that ‘the kids are still dead.’

Reduced Civilian Protection Capacity

The investigation comes amid reports that Hegseth has significantly reduced Pentagon offices focused on preventing civilian casualties. The number of Pentagon employees dedicated to civilian harm mitigation has dropped from around 200 to fewer than 40 under his leadership, according to current and former officials.

The Civilian Protection Center of Excellence was among the offices eliminated, while the civilian harm team at Central Command was reduced from ten personnel to just one. If confirmed, this would rank among the US military’s deadliest incidents involving civilians in decades.