An elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab, where at least 175 people were killed in late February, including a large number of children, was on the list of U.S. military targets and may have been mistakenly identified as a military facility, reported the Washington Post, citing multiple sources familiar with the case.
According to sources, the building had previously been marked as a factory and approved for attack as such.
Another source noted that in the same area there was a target identified as a weapons depot, so it is unclear whether the school was hit by mistake or if the intelligence data was incorrect.
Newly released video shows the moment that a BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Cruise Attack Missile (TLAM) fired by the U.S. Navy struck a facility operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Southern Iranian city of Minab on February 28, 2026. In the video, smoke can… pic.twitter.com/YkkmiuryXX
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 9, 2026
A preliminary Pentagon investigation, also reported by the New York Times, indicates that the U.S. military is responsible for the strike and that the incident likely occurred due to outdated target data.
One U.S. official confirmed that the probable cause was an error in the intelligence information regarding the location.
Israel stated that it did not participate in the attack, and two Israeli officials said the target was not coordinated with the Israeli military.
Analysis of satellite images shows that the school was once part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy base, but the complex was separated from the military area in 2015, when walls were erected and separate entrances created, according to the Washington Post.
The complex also includes a medical facility.
Footage shared on social media suggests that a U.S. Navy “Tomahawk” cruise missile may have been used near the school.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested, without providing evidence, that it was possible Iran carried out the attack itself, even though the country does not possess such missiles.
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The strike has further raised questions about the use of artificial intelligence in target identification during conflicts, the U.S. newspaper notes.
U.S. and Israeli forces use the Maven Smart System military analytics platform, developed by Palantir Technologies, which processes large amounts of intelligence data and proposes potential targets.
Commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, stated that operations use “advanced AI-based tools,” but final targeting decisions are always made by humans.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the investigation into the strike is ongoing, emphasizing that the U.S. military “does not target civilians.”
Available data indicate that in the first days of the operation, U.S. and Israeli forces struck thousands of targets across Iran.
The school attack occurred in the early hours of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, when parents were rushing to bring their children home to safety. At least 175 people were killed, many of them children, according to Iranian state media, reports the Washington Post.
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Source: Euronews; Foto: Printscreen X