New details have emerged about a deadly strike on a girls' school in Minab that resulted in the deaths of scores of children, with two sources familiar with the matter saying outdated targeting data appears to have been used in planning the attack.
Video that circulated after the incident has been assessed by experts as appearing to show a U.S. Tomahawk missile striking the site. While the mechanics of the event remain under inquiry, the broader context is that the strike occurred on the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, has said the strike killed 150 students. Archived copies of the school's official website indicate the institution sits adjacent to a compound operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military force that reports to Iran's supreme leader.
Two individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity told investigators that personnel responsible for assembling targeting packages appeared to have drawn on intelligence that was out of date. Both sources independently confirmed that outdated information appears to have been used in the targeting process.
The Pentagon has declined to provide further public comment while the matter is being examined. In a brief response to requests for information, the Defense Department said the incident is under investigation.
How older intelligence came to be applied to this strike remains unclear. It is not known whether other factors contributed to the apparent error, and investigators have not yet reached a final conclusion. Officials have not provided a timeline for completing the inquiry.
Since reporting that U.S. forces were likely responsible for the strike, public statements from U.S. political leaders have been varied. The U.S. President initially asserted, without presenting evidence, that Iran had carried out the attack. He later said he did not have sufficient information, noted that an investigation was underway, and stated he would accept the results of that inquiry.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other U.S. officials have emphasized that the United States would not intentionally target civilians. International humanitarian law generally treats deliberate attacks on schools, hospitals and other civilian structures as potential war crimes.
Images broadcast on Iranian state television showed funeral scenes following the strike. Small coffins draped with Iranian flags were carried from a truck across a large crowd toward a gravesite, footage that has contributed to the public reaction to the incident.
Summary of key factual points and ongoing questions:
- Outdated targeting data: Two anonymous sources report that personnel assembling targeting packages appear to have used stale intelligence to plan the strike.
- Possible U.S. weapon used: Video analysts say footage appears consistent with a U.S. Tomahawk missile impact at the site.
- Casualty claims and location: Iran's U.N. ambassador in Geneva reported 150 student deaths; archived school materials show proximity to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps compound.
- Investigation status: The U.S. Defense Department confirms an investigation is under way but has not released conclusions or a timetable.
The situation remains fluid. Investigators are seeking to determine how out-of-date intelligence was incorporated into targeting decisions and whether procedural or technical failures beyond the intelligence itself contributed to the outcome. Until the inquiry concludes, key questions about responsibility, the decision-making chain and potential corrective actions remain unresolved.
Officials' public comments have underscored the sensitivity of civilian harm in armed operations. The assertion by some U.S. officials that the United States does not deliberately target civilians contrasts with the reports and images that have prompted widespread attention and diplomatic concern.
This episode highlights a set of procedural and accountability issues tied to modern targeting practices, particularly in environments where military and civilian sites are in close proximity. Because the investigation is ongoing and officials have not disclosed a timetable for its conclusion, definitive answers about the sequence of events and any subsequent policy or operational changes are not yet available.