Pentagon Formally Investigates Tomahawk Strike on Iranian Girls’ School That Killed At Least 165 Civilians
The Pentagon has opened a formal investigation after a cruise‑missile strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, killing at least 165 civilians, many of them children — a preliminary U.S. assessment, weapons experts and geolocation/satellite analysis say the munition was consistent with a U.S. Tomahawk and that outdated intelligence may have misidentified the site as an IRGC facility. President Trump publicly suggested Iran was to blame and claimed (contrary to experts) that Iran has Tomahawks, while the White House and other officials say the inquiry is ongoing, Israeli sources deny operating in the area, and the probe is expected to take months.
📌 Key Facts
- The Pentagon has opened a formal investigation after a cruise‑missile strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab that killed at least 165 civilians (Iranian state media lists 168), many of them children; the probe is expected to take months.
- Independent geolocation, satellite imagery and newly released video and photos tie the blast to the Minab school compound and show multiple precise impact points inside an adjacent IRGC naval/missile base as well as a separate strike that hit the school and a nearby public health clinic.
- Weapons experts and visual analysis of fragments and footage say the incoming weapon is consistent with a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile; the Tomahawk is manufactured for the U.S. and is fielded by only a small number of partners, and the U.S. is the only Tomahawk user known to be engaged in this conflict.
- A preliminary U.S. assessment briefed to officials found the United States is ‘likely’ responsible, citing outdated Defense Intelligence Agency/targeting data that may have misidentified the school as part of an IRGC installation; that assessment prompted the formal Pentagon investigation.
- President Trump publicly suggested Iran was to blame and repeatedly claimed Iran “has some Tomahawks,” a contention contradicted by weapons experts and reporting; White House spokespeople framed his remarks as his opinion and said he would accept the investigation’s outcome, while other administration officials declined to back his attribution.
- The strike has prompted heightened scrutiny and political fallout: more than 45 Democratic senators demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, critics pointed to Trump‑era cuts and policy shifts that reduced Pentagon civilian‑harm mitigation staffing, and former officials warned that a culture prioritizing “lethality over legality” contributed to risk.
- If U.S. responsibility is confirmed, the Minab strike would rank among the deadliest single‑incident civilian casualty events tied to U.S. action in roughly three decades; Iran is already using the attack in wartime messaging to justify retaliatory operations and to mobilize domestic and international support.
📊 Relevant Data
US airstrikes have killed at least 22,000 civilians since September 11, 2001.
US airstrikes killed at least 22,000 civilians since 9/11, analysis finds — The Guardian
Flawed intelligence and faulty targeting are primary causes of civilian casualties in US airstrikes, as revealed by Pentagon records.
Hidden Pentagon Records Reveal Patterns of Failure in Deadly Airstrikes — The New York Times
Black households in the US spend 43% more of their income on energy costs compared to non-Hispanic White households, with Hispanic households spending 20% more.
Report: Low-Income Households, Communities of Color Face High 'Energy Burden' — ACEEE
Minab County in Iran has a Shi'i majority population with a Sunni minority, and includes a significant Afro-Iranian community.
MINĀB — Encyclopaedia Iranica
Climate change, including drought and water scarcity, has been a significant push factor for internal and external migration from Iran, with an estimated 41,000 Iranians displaced due to environmental factors in 2021.
Iran's growing climate migration crisis — Middle East Institute
📰 Source Timeline (15)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 12, 2026
11:04 AM
U.S. investigates strike on Iranian school as the war sparks a global oil crisis
New information:
- NPR reports that the Pentagon has launched a formal investigation into the missile strike on an Iranian girls’ school that killed at least 165 civilians, many of them children.
- NPR notes that if U.S. responsibility is officially confirmed, this attack would be one of the highest civilian death tolls caused by the U.S. in a single incident in roughly 35 years.
- Iran has released images of missile fragments it says hit the school; experts interviewed by NPR say the parts appear consistent with a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile.
- Despite this, President Trump has publicly suggested the missiles were 'generic' and could have been fired by Iran, a claim experts told NPR is implausible because, in this conflict, only the U.S. uses Tomahawks.
10:07 AM
Iran issues statement purported to be from new leader as war with U.S. and Israel rages
New information:
- The purported statement from Mojtaba Khamenei explicitly cites the March 1 attack on the girls’ school in Minab and calls its victims 'martyrs' whose blood Iran will avenge.
- NPR reports it has confirmed that the U.S. military is investigating how it could have targeted the school, directly tying the investigation to the Minab incident mentioned in the Iranian statement.
- Iran’s leadership is now using the Minab strike rhetorically in wartime messaging to justify continued attacks and closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
3:08 AM
Outdated intel likely led US to carry out deadly strike on Iranian elementary school, AP sources say
New information:
- Sources briefed on a preliminary U.S. military investigation say outdated Defense Intelligence Agency data likely led U.S. Central Command to use wrong target coordinates, resulting in the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School.
- The AP reports that more than 45 Democratic senators sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers on U.S. culpability and on prior analysis of the building, and criticizing Trump‑era cuts to civilian‑casualty mitigation offices including the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence and CENTCOM civilian‑harm staff.
- The article details President Trump’s shifting public statements: initially blaming Iran for the attack, then saying he was unsure who was responsible, then saying he would accept the Pentagon’s findings after the New York Times report that the U.S. was likely responsible.
- A former Pentagon official links the strike to Trump administration changes that prioritized "lethality over legality" and reduced staffing dedicated to preventing civilian harm.
- The story notes the strike occurred on a Saturday morning, the start of the Iranian school week, when the building was full of children, suggesting the attack was avoidable with current information.
March 11, 2026
7:38 PM
Pentagon probe points to U.S. missile hitting Iranian school
New information:
- A U.S. official says a preliminary Pentagon assessment has determined the U.S. was at fault in the strike on the Minab girls' school, triggering a formal investigation expected to take months.
- The article reports at least 165 civilians, many of them children, were killed in the school strike, placing it among the deadliest U.S. civilian‑casualty incidents in decades if confirmed.
- NPR details that Congress’s post‑Iraq/Afghanistan civilian‑harm office at the Pentagon was created in 2019 but was 'dramatically scaled back' by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he took office.
- New context from satellite imagery: the girls' school and a nearby public health clinic had been walled off from an IRGC naval base years earlier (between 2013–2016 for the school and around 2024 for the clinic), suggesting U.S. targeting relied on outdated military facility data.
- The clinic, opened in 2025 with a ribbon‑cutting by IRGC commander Hossein Salami (later assassinated by Israel), was also struck in the same attack.
- Multiple munitions experts quoted by NPR say no Iranian missile matches the weapon in the video, and note that Tomahawks are operated by only a few nations and the U.S. is the only Tomahawk user in this conflict.
- The story quotes Hegseth’s earlier public criticism of 'stupid rules of engagement' as interfering with 'winning,' highlighting a policy climate that deprioritized formal civilian‑harm safeguards.
March 10, 2026
11:48 PM
Fact-checking Trump's claim that Iran has Tomahawk missiles
New information:
- PolitiFact‑style fact‑check documents that Tomahawk cruise missiles are manufactured by U.S. company Raytheon for the U.S. and a limited set of partners, and that the only other users are Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands.
- Multiple weapons and security experts — Mark F. Cancian of CSIS, Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute, and N.R. Jenzen‑Jones of Armament Research Services — say Iran does not possess Tomahawk missiles and that Iranian cruise missiles are visually distinct.
- The article reproduces the detailed exchange at Trump’s press conference where he suggests Iran may have Tomahawks and might have fired on its own girls’ school, then doubles down when pressed that he is ‘the only person’ in his government making that claim.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a March 10 floor speech, publicly rebuts Trump’s assertion, stating, “Iran doesn’t have Tomahawk missiles, Donald Trump,” and calling the claim beyond the pale.
- The piece notes that while a small number of U.S. allies field Tomahawks, none of them is fighting Iran in this conflict, undercutting the idea that some other actor plausibly launched a Tomahawk at the school.
10:50 PM
A look at evidence linking U.S. to Iranian school strike
New information:
- A U.S. official briefed on the initial review told PBS NewsHour that the Minab school strike was 'likely American.'
- Weapons experts who reviewed slowed‑down video from Iran’s semi‑official Mehr News Agency say the incoming weapon is an American Tomahawk cruise missile.
- Iranian state media released photos it said were taken at the site that appear to show fragments of an American Tomahawk, which experts cite as consistent with that weapon.
- Satellite imagery shows at least six highly precise impact points within an IRGC naval/missile compound and a seventh strike hitting the adjacent school, indicating a deliberately targeted strike package rather than an errant round.
- Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Wes Bryant, a former targeting-cell lead and Defense Department civilian‑protection official, publicly assesses the pattern as deliberate, precise targeting of multiple buildings inside the base.
10:31 PM
WATCH: White House says Trump will accept outcome of investigation into bombing of school in Iran
New information:
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a March 10 briefing that President Trump 'has a right to share his opinions with the American public' when asked why he falsely claimed Iran has access to U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles.
- Leavitt stated that Trump 'has said he'll accept the conclusion of that investigation' into the bombing of the Iranian girls’ school.
- Pressed on the false Tomahawk assertion, Leavitt did not directly explain or correct Trump’s claim, instead framing it as his opinion.
- The article reiterates that Raytheon manufactures the Tomahawk and that there is no evidence Iran possesses Tomahawk cruise missiles, underscoring the falsity of Trump’s statement.
10:01 PM
Trump Tries to Sidestep Blame for Any Civilian Deaths in Iran
New information:
- Trump told reporters on Air Force One that, 'in my opinion,' the Tomahawk missile that hit the Iranian elementary school was 'done by Iran,' even though the U.S. is the only force in this war known to have Tomahawk missiles.
- Trump justified his claim by characterizing Iran as 'very inaccurate' with its munitions and saying 'they have no accuracy whatsoever.'
- The Pentagon followed up with a public messaging line that any additional civilian deaths in Iran would be the fault of Iran’s government, with spokesman Sean Parnell alleging Tehran is 'deliberately positioning missile and drone launchers in densely populated civilian neighborhoods' and using 'innocent Iranian civilians as human shields.'
- The article cites an updated war toll of more than 1,800 people killed in Iran and elsewhere, including many civilians.
6:20 PM
Trump struggles when pressed on his claim about strike on girls’ school in Iran
New information:
- Trump, when pressed at a Monday press conference on why he alone claims Iran hit the Minab girls’ school, said, "I just don’t know enough about it" and characterized the matter as still under investigation.
- Trump falsely asserted that Iran "has some" Tomahawk missiles, a claim contradicted by New York Times reporting that only the United States, Britain and Australia currently field Tomahawks, with Japan and the Netherlands contracted to buy them.
- The article notes that both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz declined to back Trump’s Iran‑did‑it claim, instead saying the incident remains under investigation.
- It reinforces that Reuters reporting and New York Times visual analysis indicate U.S. investigators believe it is likely that an American Tomahawk strike caused the school casualties, with a newly released video adding to that evidence.
12:44 AM
WATCH: Trump sidesteps responsibility for deadly strike on Iranian girls' school
New information:
- Trump publicly and incorrectly claimed that Iran 'also has some Tomahawks,' suggesting the weapon used in the deadly girls' school strike could have come from another country.
- Trump described the Tomahawk as 'very generic' and emphasized that it is 'sold and used by other countries,' downplaying U.S. uniqueness as the likely source.
- Pressed on why no one else in his administration was making the claim that Iran has Tomahawks, Trump answered, 'Because I just don't know enough about it,' and said he would 'live with' whatever the eventual report concludes.
March 09, 2026
2:09 PM
The war in Iran has entered a second week. Here's where things stand
New information:
- Summarizes that “evidence mounted” over the first week indicating the United States was likely responsible for the deadly strike on a girls’ school in Iran on the war’s first day.
- Notes that despite this mounting evidence and internal U.S. assessments, President Trump publicly suggested Iran was to blame for the strike.
- Adds that the school strike is now being framed within broader U.S. messaging that Iran is launching attacks from densely populated areas, which the Pentagon uses to justify warnings for civilians to stay indoors.
2:51 AM
Video appears to show U.S. cruise missile striking Iranian school compound
New information:
- Iranian state outlet Mehr News released a seven‑second video showing a cruise missile striking a building inside the Minab school compound complex shortly after the girls’ school was hit, with smoke already rising from the school area.
- Arms‑control expert Jeffrey Lewis says the missile’s appearance is consistent with a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile and inconsistent with known Iranian cruise‑missile designs; the U.S. is the only country known to field Tomahawks.
- Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, previously stated that "the first shooters at sea were Tomahawks unleashed by the United States Navy" in operations in southern Iran around the time of the strike.
- NPR and Bellingcat independently geolocated the video to a housing development under construction across from the compound and verified visual details such as the clinic sign and compound layout.
- NPR reiterates earlier satellite analysis showing at least seven buildings in the former IRGC naval base compound, including the clinic, were hit in what appeared to be a precision strike.
- President Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One on Saturday, again blamed Iran for the school bombing, calling Iranian munitions "very inaccurate" and saying "they have no accuracy whatsoever," despite the video and expert analysis.
- NPR notes the video appears authentic and explains why typical AI‑generated strike fakes are unlikely here, given the accurate, specific location details and lack of obvious physics errors.
- The Pentagon did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment on the newly released footage.
2:45 AM
U.S. "likely" responsible for bombing of girls' school in Iran, per early U.S. assessment
New information:
- CBS sources say a preliminary U.S. assessment concludes the United States is ‘likely’ responsible for the bombing of the Minab girls’ school, with the strike believed to have been an error linked to dated intelligence that misidentified the site as part of an IRGC military installation.
- Multiple sources, including an Israeli government source, tell CBS that Israel’s military was not operating in the Minab area at the time, reinforcing that Israel was not behind the attack.
- The White House, via spokesperson Anna Kelly, publicly rejects any definitive attribution at this stage, calling it ‘irresponsible and false’ for anyone to claim conclusions while confirming that the investigation is ongoing.
- CBS independently geolocated video of the damaged building with child‑themed murals to Minab and confirmed it as the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school located near two IRGC‑controlled sites.
- Iranian state media’s casualty figure of 168 dead is paired with Human Rights Watch analysis of an official victim list, finding at least 48 of the named dead appear to be children, along with the school principal and teachers.
March 07, 2026
11:19 PM
Trump says he believes bombing of Iranian girls' school was "done by Iran"
New information:
- President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that, "in my opinion, based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran…We think it was done by Iran," claiming Iranian munitions are "very inaccurate" and that Iran "has no accuracy whatsoever."
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, when pressed whether Trump’s assessment was accurate, said only that the Pentagon was "investigating" and added that "the only side that targets civilians is Iran."
- A White House statement from spokesperson Anna Kelly said the Minab strike investigation is ongoing, that "there are no conclusions at this time," and called it "irresponsible and false" for anyone to claim otherwise, implicitly contradicting Trump’s attribution.
- Israeli and U.S. sources told CBS that Israel was not operating near the school; an Israeli source said the Israeli Air Force was not behind the strike, while a person familiar with the inquiry said U.S. investigators believe the U.S. may have been responsible.
- CBS geolocated footage of the blast to the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab and confirmed it is near two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps‑controlled sites.