Overview
- The U.S. Central Command said it did not hit Lamerd on Feb. 28 and denied using a Precision Strike Missile there, stating no U.S. strikes occurred within 30 miles of the city, according to a statement cited by TASS.
- Earlier reporting by The New York Times, echoed by multiple outlets, tied the Lamerd blasts to the new Precision Strike Missile after videos showed a midair detonation and buildings pocked by small holes consistent with tungsten pellets.
- Iranian officials said at least 21 people were killed in Lamerd when a sports hall and an adjacent elementary school near an IRGC compound were struck, with local footage showing a blast above the hall and images of shattered windows and bloodstains.
- CENTCOM previously posted launch footage of a PrSM and its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, confirmed the missile’s first combat use, while spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the command was looking into the Lamerd reports and a separate command investigation was assigned to an outside general officer.
- The Lamerd incident came the same day a U.S. Tomahawk hit a school in Minab, where reports said 175 people were killed, sharpening questions about targeting, the use of a newly fielded airburst warhead, and whether civilian sites near military facilities were mistakenly hit or misidentified.