Mounting evidence points to U.S. missile strike on Iranian school as investigation drags on
Nearly three months after a missile strike destroyed Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern Iranian city of Minab, questions over who carried out the attack continue to intensify as multiple investigations point toward a U.S.-launched Tomahawk cruise missile.
The strike, which took place on February 28, during the opening phase of the 2026 Iran conflict, killed at least 156 people, including 120 children, according to Amnesty International. Iranian authorities said most of the victims were students and teachers attempting to evacuate the school when the missile struck.
The White House has not formally accepted responsibility. However, investigations by Amnesty International, the Associated Press, Sky News and The Guardian all cited forensic evidence, satellite imagery and verified video footage suggesting the weapon used was a U.S. Tomahawk missile.
President Donald Trump initially denied American involvement and suggested Iranian forces may have hit the school themselves. But reporting by The Guardian said later intelligence assessments reviewed within the U.S. government contradicted those claims.
Amnesty International said evidence indicated the school was struck alongside nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities and accused U.S. forces of failing to take adequate precautions to protect civilians. The organisation described the attack as a possible violation of international humanitarian law.
“This harrowing attack on a school, with classrooms full of children, is a sickening illustration of the catastrophic and entirely predictable price civilians are paying during this armed conflict,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, said in a March statement.
Weapons analysts interviewed by Reuters and other outlets noted that Iran is not known to possess Tomahawk missiles, further undermining claims that Tehran may have been responsible for the strike.
The Pentagon says its investigation remains ongoing. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously confirmed that an independent review had been launched into the incident, as human rights groups and UN experts continue to call for the findings to be made public.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
