A preliminary military investigation has determined that the United States was responsible for a devastating Tomahawk missile strike that hit an Iranian elementary school, according to US officials and sources familiar with the findings.
The attack on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building on 28 February occurred after a targeting error by the US military, the inquiry has found, reports The New York Times.
American forces had intended to strike an adjacent Iranian base, of which the school building once formed a part. People briefed on the investigation revealed that officers at US Central Command generated the target coordinates using outdated data supplied by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Officials have stressed that the findings remain preliminary, with significant unanswered questions lingering over why the obsolete information was not verified.
The strike, which hit a building full of children, is poised to be recorded as one of the most catastrophic military blunders in recent decades. Iranian officials have placed the death toll at a minimum of 175 people, most of them children.
Although the overarching finding came as little surprise – the US remains the sole party in the conflict deploying Tomahawk missiles – it has already cast a long shadow over American military operations in Iran.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to deflect blame for the incident have further complicated the inquiry, leaving officials who have reviewed evidence of US culpability expressing deep discomfort.
Those interviewed for this report spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the delicate nature of the ongoing investigation and Trump’s previous assertion that Iran, not the US, bore responsibility.
The school, located in the town of Minab, sits on the same block as facilities used by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy, a high-priority target for US military strikes. The school’s site originally belonged to the base.
Officials briefed on the inquiry confirmed that the building had not always functioned as a school, though the precise date it opened on the site remains unclear.
Investigators have yet to fully ascertain how the outdated intelligence was transmitted to Central Command, or whether the Defense Intelligence Agency possessed updated information.
US officials and other sources emphasised that the investigation remains active, with more details yet to emerge, according to individuals briefed on the matter.
Central Command officials declined to comment. Defense Intelligence Agency redirected inquiries to the Pentagon, which also declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
