New Video Suggests U.S. Tomahawk Hit Minab Girls’ School Compound as Trump Continues to Blame Iran
A newly released seven‑second video geolocated by NPR and CBS to the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school area in Minab appears to show a cruise missile striking a building in the school compound; arms‑control experts say the munition’s appearance is consistent with a U.S. Tomahawk, and U.S. investigators have preliminarily judged the United States “likely” responsible while Israeli sources say Israel was not operating in the area. President Trump has continued to blame Iran for the strike, even as the White House and Pentagon say investigations are ongoing and make no definitive attribution, and Iranian state media and Human Rights Watch reporting indicate dozens of the victims were children.
📌 Key Facts
- Video footage and independent geolocation by CBS, NPR and Bellingcat place the strike at the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab; analysts say the clip shows a cruise missile hitting the school compound and nearby buildings (including a clinic), and satellite imagery indicates at least seven buildings in the former IRGC naval base compound were struck in a precision strike.
- Arms‑control expert Jeffrey Lewis and other analysts say the missile’s appearance is consistent with a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile and inconsistent with known Iranian cruise‑missile designs; Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, previously stated Tomahawks were used by the U.S. Navy in southern Iran around the time of the strike.
- CBS sources report a preliminary U.S. assessment finds the United States is 'likely' responsible for the Minab bombing, potentially the result of dated intelligence that misidentified the site as an IRGC military installation.
- President Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, repeatedly blamed Iran for the school bombing—saying 'in my opinion' it was 'done by Iran' and calling Iranian munitions 'very inaccurate'—even as the video and expert analysis point toward a U.S. Tomahawk.
- The White House (spokesperson Anna Kelly) says the Minab strike investigation is ongoing and that 'there are no conclusions at this time,' calling definitive public attribution 'irresponsible and false'; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is 'investigating' while asserting that 'the only side that targets civilians is Iran.'
- Multiple sources, including an Israeli government source cited by CBS, say Israel’s military was not operating in the Minab area and was not behind the attack.
- Iranian state media reported 168 dead; Human Rights Watch’s analysis of an official victim list found at least 48 of the named dead appear to be children, including the school principal and teachers.
- NPR notes the newly released video appears authentic (unlikely to be an AI fake given location‑specific details and lack of obvious physics errors); the Pentagon did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment on the footage.
📊 Relevant Data
In 1953, the United States and Britain orchestrated a coup d'état that overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, reinstalling the Shah and contributing to long-term anti-Western resentment that culminated in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In first, CIA acknowledges 1953 coup it backed to overthrow leader of Iran was undemocratic — PBS
Black service members are overrepresented in the US military compared to their population share; as of December 2024, 21.4% of active-duty Army soldiers are Black, while Black individuals comprise about 13.6% of the US population.
How many people are in the US military? A demographic overview — USA Facts
The ongoing US-Iran conflict could trigger a major refugee crisis, with potential displacements of unprecedented magnitude, including impacts on vulnerable populations like the 2.6 million Afghan refugees currently in Iran.
The escalating humanitarian impacts of the US-Israeli war on Iran — The New Humanitarian
Black and low-income households in the US experience higher energy cost burdens, with racial disparities showing these groups spending a larger share of income on energy, exacerbated by events like war-induced price spikes.
Race, rates, and energy insecurity: exploring racial disparities in energy cost burdens in the US — Nature
Public opinion on US military action in Iran varies significantly by political party, with 86% of Democrats opposing it compared to only 15% of Republicans, according to a 2026 poll.
Poll: A majority of Americans opposes U.S. military action in Iran — NPR
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.