Flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and excessive reliance on artificial intelligence were key factors in a US airstrike that killed 123 children in the Iranian town of Minab, according to findings in an internal investigation report released on Friday.
Citing officials connected to the probe, Bloomberg reported that a pair of Tomahawk missiles struck the Shajarah Tayyebeh Elementary School on 28 February, resulting in more than 150 fatalities.
Within hours of the bombardment, certain Pentagon personnel reportedly became aware that American forces were responsible.
The investigation noted that the administration’s mandate for an intense air campaign, which saw over 1,000 locations hit within the first 24 hours, drastically reduced the time available for military staff to finalise target lists.
Investigators also highlighted staffing cuts in civilian-protection roles alongside critical information gaps concerning the site, which had previously formed part of a military complex before being walled off and operated openly as a school.
Officials indicated that personnel within US Central Command placed excessive trust in Palantir’s Maven Smart System, expecting the software to automatically flag outdated or contradictory intelligence.
Palantir maintained that it bears no responsibility for underlying data or identifying intelligence flaws, stressing that no evidence suggests its software was at fault. Following the incident, the technology firm created new tools designed to re-assess baseline intelligence, detect disqualifying target factors, and highlight inconsistencies that human reviewers may have overlooked, according to an individual familiar with the matter.
Separately, a United Nations-backed fact-finding panel stated on Thursday that reasonable grounds exist to believe the US committed war crimes during two airstrikes in Iran in February, including the attack on the Minab school, which killed at least 178 civilians, among them women and children.
