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Preliminary U.S. Probe Points to Tomahawk and Outdated Target Data in Deadly Iran School Strike

Preliminary findings cite outdated Defense Intelligence Agency target data that mislabeled the Minab school as part of a nearby IRGC base.

In this aerial handout picture released by the Iranian Press Center, mourners dig graves during the funeral for children killed in a reported strike on a primary school in Iran's Hormozgan province in Minab on March 3, 2026. © AFP PHOTO / IRANIAN PRESS CENTER
Image
A man hold a children's backpack as rescue workers and residents search through the rubble in the aftermath of a strike on a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News Agency via AP)
MINAB, IRAN - MARCH 3: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Getty Images provides access to this publicly distributed image for editorial purposes and is not the copyright owner. Additional permissions may be required and are the sole responsibility of the end user.) An aerial view of a graveyard as funerals are held for students and staff from a girls' school, who authorities said were killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28, on March 3, 2026 in Minab, Iran. Iranian authorities said that over 160 people were killed in the blast, which occurred on the first day of the joint US-Israeli attack on sites across Iran. US officials say they were looking into reports of the incident at the school, which was adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base. (Photo by Handout/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Officials familiar with the inquiry say a U.S. Tomahawk fired on Feb. 28 struck the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab during strikes on adjacent IRGC naval facilities.
  • Sources report CENTCOM planners relied on DIA data that had not been updated, with satellite imagery showing the school was separated from the base between 2013 and 2016 and later featured playgrounds and new entrances.
  • Video published by Iran’s Mehr News and analyses by Bellingcat and The New York Times indicate the weapon was a Tomahawk, which only U.S. forces are known to employ in the current campaign.
  • The Pentagon says the investigation is ongoing, with reviews of DIA and NGA roles and verification steps, and early assessments pointing to human error rather than a technological malfunction.
  • President Trump previously suggested Iran was responsible and claimed Iran had Tomahawks, then said Wednesday he was unaware of the preliminary findings, while Iranian authorities report roughly 150 to 175 deaths, mostly children.