• What Happened: A preliminary U.S. military investigation has found that American forces were responsible for a February 28 Tomahawk missile strike that killed at least 175 people, most of them girls aged 7 to 12, at an elementary school in Minab, Iran.
  • Why It Matters: Investigators found officers at U.S. Central Command used outdated Defense Intelligence Agency data that incorrectly identified the school building as part of an adjacent IRGC naval base. The school had been partitioned off from that base by 2016.
  • Bottom Line: The findings are preliminary and the investigation is ongoing. President Trump initially attributed the strike to Iran. Both Hegseth and Rubio declined to confirm that claim and deferred to the investigation.

A preliminary U.S. military investigation has found that American forces were responsible for the February 28 Tomahawk missile strike that destroyed the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing at least 175 people, the vast majority of them schoolgirls between the ages of 7 and 12.

The New York Times first reported the findings Wednesday, citing officials familiar with the ongoing investigation. The strike, which occurred on the opening day of Operation Epic Fury, was the deadliest single incident of civilian casualties in the conflict to date.

According to officials briefed on the investigation, officers at U.S. Central Command generated the target coordinates using outdated intelligence data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency. That data identified the school building as part of an adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base. Historical satellite imagery reviewed by the Times shows the building was indeed part of the IRGC compound in 2013, but had been fenced off and converted into a civilian school by September 2016. The outdated data was never flagged or updated before the strike was executed.

Wes J. Bryant, a former U.S. Air Force targeting expert who reviewed imagery for the Times, described the strikes as "picture-perfect" in terms of precision, suggesting the military hit exactly what it was aiming at. The problem was what it was aiming at was wrong.

Video verified by the Washington Post and analyzed by investigative group Bellingcat shows a U.S. Tomahawk missile striking the area at the same time as attacks on the adjacent IRGC facility. The United States is the only participant in the conflict using Tomahawk missiles. Bellingcat concluded the footage directly contradicted the claim that an Iranian munition was responsible.

President Trump, asked about the strike aboard Air Force One last weekend, said: "No. In my opinion, based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran. They're very inaccurate with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever." Neither Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth nor U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz backed that claim. Both said the matter was under investigation. When pressed again Monday, Trump said: "I just don't know enough about it."

The White House acknowledged the Times report while noting the investigation remains open. "As The New York Times acknowledges in its own reporting, the investigation is still ongoing," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

The Pentagon has not disputed the preliminary findings. Hegseth addressed the school strike directly during his 60 Minutes interview last Sunday, stating: "We, of course, never target civilian targets. But we're taking a look and investigating that."

The investigation is ongoing. Final conclusions have not been reached.