'Targeting mistake' led to US missile strike on Iranian school that killed 165: Report

An ongoing military investigation into the strike that hit Iran’s elementary school has found that the United States is responsible for a Tomahawk missile strike, according to US officials who cited preliminary findings.

The New York Times report quoted officials who emphasised that the investigation is still in its early stage and several questions remain, including why outdated information used for the operation was not rechecked.

The girls’ school, Shajareh Tayyebeh, located in Minab in southern Iran, was struck on February 28, 2026, on the first day of attacks on the country led by the United States and Israel. Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said 150 students were killed in the strike. Iranian authorities later reported the final death toll at 165, most of them girls aged between 7 and 12. At least 95 others were injured.

Missiles hit the school after classes began and destroyed the building that caused the roof to collapse on students and teachers. 

The report adds that according to the people briefed on the investigation, the strike on the school building was the result of a mistake by the US military, which was conducting strikes on an adjacent Iranian base. It is said that the US Central Command created the target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency. 

The conclusion was more or less expected since the US is the only country involved in the conflict known to use Tomahawk missiles, said the report. 

The New York Times report further states that officials who reviewed the findings expressed concern, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the investigation and Trump’s earlier claim that Iran, not the US, was responsible for the strike on the school. President Donald Trump’s efforts to distance the US from the strike have also complicated the probe.

“As The New York Times acknowledges in its own reporting, the investigation is still ongoing,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Earlier, Reuters also reported that US military investigators believe American forces were likely responsible for the strike on the Iranian girls’ school, though the probe has not yet reached a final conclusion. However, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that new evidence could emerge pointing to another party involved in the incident.