An official investigation into a deadly Tomahawk missile strike on a school for girls in Iran that resulted in the deaths of at least 170 civilians, mostly children, has been initiated by the United States, reported NYT. The country was found to be at fault in an initial examination, which led to the development. Interviews with all parties involved, from commanders and planners to those who executed the assault, will be part of the probe, which is anticipated to take months.
According to the preliminary inquiry, the attack was caused by an error by the US military, which was carrying out hits on a nearby Iranian installation. The building had formerly been a part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility. Officers at US Central Command reportedly used out-of-date information from the Defence Intelligence Agency to determine the objective’s target coordinates, and it was deemed legitimate.
The initial findings unveiled that the school was hit by the munition instead of falling off the spot since it was identified as a military target by prior intelligence. Furthermore, other sources, such as intelligence from American partners, including Israel, probably helped to confirm the same.
According to reports, officials stressed that the results are preliminary and that there are significant unresolved issues regarding why the obsolete data had not been verified. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated, “This investigation is ongoing. As we have said, unlike the terrorist Iranian regime, the United States does not target civilians.”
The school and the IRGC base were formerly a part of the same compound, according to 2013 satellite photos. However, images from 2016 showed that the school had a separate entrance and a fence separating it from the rest of the unit. Pictures revealed that three public gates to the school were opened, play spaces, including a sports field, were painted on asphalt, walls were painted pink and blue, and watchtowers that had previously stood close to the structure had been taken down. Satellite visuals from December 2025 appeared to show many people playing in the school’s courtyard.
There was also damage to a public health centre on the base. According to local media reports, the clinic opened in 2025 after it was walled off from the base about 2024, confirmed by satellite photographs. It was inaugurated by Hossein Salami, the Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who was assassinated by Israel later that year.
The US destroyed the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school building in Minab on 28th February, on the first day of the conflict, which also saw the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a series of attacks. According to experts, American Tomahawk missile marks were discovered on the missile fragments displayed by Iranian official TV. As of now, only the United States is using Tomahawk missiles in the clash.
President Donald Trump described the American-made Tomahawks as “very generic” weapons and implied that Iran or another nation fired the missile. On 11th March (Wednesday), the president alleged that he was not aware of reports that an ongoing military investigation found that the United States was responsible for the attack.
If the involvement in the attack is verified, it would be one of the military’s deadliest civilian mishaps in decades. A separate Pentagon office was established by Congress to stop unintentional targeting of civilians, but Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth drastically reduced it when he took office last year. He denounced “stupid rules of engagement” at a news conference immediately after the war started, claiming that they impede victory.
