Minab, March 11, KNT: A preliminary United States military inquiry has concluded that a deadly missile strike on an elementary school in Iran in February, which killed at least 175 people including a large number of children, resulted from a targeting error by US military planners.
The findings, reported by The New York Times citing unnamed US officials familiar with the investigation, relate to the strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in the Iranian town of Minab on February 28.
The incident drew international attention due to the high civilian death toll and conflicting claims about responsibility for the attack.
Iranian authorities had earlier said the strike killed at least 175 people, most of them children, in what they described as one of the deadliest attacks on civilians during the ongoing tensions in the region.
According to the preliminary inquiry, officers at United States Central Command allegedly generated the strike coordinates using outdated intelligence data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The school building was reportedly located close to facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval units, which may have contributed to the targeting decision.
However, satellite imagery and independent analysis indicate that the school had been separated from the military compound for several years and showed clear signs of being an educational facility, including murals and playground areas.
Video footage circulated on Iranian social media after the strike showed the destroyed school building and heavy smoke rising from nearby areas.
Investigators and munitions experts later identified fragments and footage of the missile used in the strike as belonging to a Tomahawk cruise missile.
NR Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services, said the weapon type strongly indicates a US strike because the United States is the only country involved in the conflict known to possess and deploy Tomahawk missiles.
Despite the preliminary findings, officials in the United States have said the investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense stated that the incident remains under review, while officials from US Central Command declined to comment further, citing the continuing investigation.
Earlier, Donald Trump had suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible for the explosion at the school, though no evidence was presented to support the claim.
The strike remains under investigation as authorities examine intelligence assessments, targeting procedures and operational decisions that led to the attack. [KNT]
