Pentagon Probe Finds U.S. Responsible for Deadly Missile Strike on Iranian School That Killed Over 170 Children

 An ongoing Pentagon investigation has preliminarily concluded that the United States military carried out a Tomahawk missile strike on an elementary school in southern Iran, resulting in the deaths of at least 175 people, most of them children, according to multiple U.S. officials familiar with the findings.

The February 28 incident targeted the Shajarah Tayyebeh (also reported as Shajareh Tayyiba or Shajaba Tayyiba) girls' elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, during the opening hours of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Iranian state media and officials reported the toll at between 165 and 175, with the vast majority being young students primarily girls aged 7 to 12 and several teachers. The strike occurred as parents rushed to collect their children amid the escalating conflict.

Preliminary assessments point to a targeting error rooted in outdated intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency. U.S. Central Command planners used coordinates based on old data that misidentified the school building once part of or adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval facility as a legitimate military target. The missile struck accurately on the intended coordinates, but the location's civilian use had changed or was not properly updated in the intelligence database.

The findings contradict initial statements from President Donald Trump, who suggested Iran might bear responsibility for the blast, describing it as possibly self-inflicted or staged. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has since acknowledged the investigation without confirming details, emphasizing that the U.S. does not intentionally target civilians and that the probe will examine procedural lapses.

Video footage circulated by Iranian outlets and analyzed by weapons experts appears to show a Tomahawk cruise missile trajectory consistent with U.S. capabilities. Satellite imagery and open-source reporting have placed the school near an IRGC site, supporting the error theory over deliberate action.

The tragedy ranks among the deadliest single incidents involving civilian casualties attributed to U.S. forces in recent decades, drawing sharp criticism from lawmakers, human rights groups, and international observers. Senate Democrats have called for a swift, transparent review, while UN experts condemned the strike as inexcusable and urged an independent probe into accountability.

The Pentagon has launched a formal 15-6 investigation to determine the full chain of events, including interviews with planners, intelligence officers, and commanders. This process, which could take months, will assess whether reforms to civilian harm mitigation scaled back under the current administration contributed to the mistake. Officials stress that the U.S. military adheres to strict rules of engagement, but critics argue the rapid pace of the campaign and reliance on potentially flawed intelligence increased risks.

Iranian authorities have used the incident to rally domestic support and condemn the broader U.S.-Israeli operations, which have included strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and targeted nuclear and military infrastructure. The school strike has intensified global calls for de-escalation amid rising civilian tolls across the region.

For families in Minab and communities worldwide watching the conflict unfold, the revelation adds layers of grief and outrage. Survivors and witnesses described chaotic scenes of destruction during school hours, with the building partially collapsing and claiming lives in classrooms.

As the investigation continues, the Pentagon has reiterated its commitment to learning from the error and preventing future tragedies. Yet the incident underscores persistent challenges in modern warfare: the difficulty of real-time intelligence verification in fast-moving operations and the human cost when mistakes occur.

The White House has deferred detailed comment to the ongoing review, while emphasizing that the broader campaign targets threats from the Iranian regime, not civilians. With the war entering its third week, pressure mounts for clearer rules, better safeguards, and diplomatic efforts to contain the violence before more innocents are caught in the crossfire.