The deadly missile strike on a school in Iran’s Minab in February was caused by a “targeting mistake” by US planners, says a preliminary investigation by the US military as reported by The New York Times. Iranian authorities claim the attack killed at least 175 people. According to the report by NYT, which cited unnamed US officials familiar with the findings, the strike on February 28 hit the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, killing a large number of civilians, many of them children.
Final conclusion awaited
The report by the NYT also says the initial findings suggest the strike happened after US military officers used “outdated intelligence data” while preparing the target coordinates. The data had reportedly been supplied by the Defense Intelligence Agency. It is pertinent to note that the investigation is still ongoing and has not yet reached its final conclusion.
“As The New York Times acknowledges in its own reporting, the investigation is still ongoing,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
Trump had blamed Iran for the strike
Following the incident, US President Donald Trump publicly claimed that Iran itself was responsible for the explosion at the school. Speaking earlier, Trump said he believed Iranian weapons had hit the building, describing them as “very inaccurate.” However, he did not provide evidence to support the claim.
Meanwhile, US military officials have avoided confirming responsibility, repeatedly saying only that the matter is “under investigation.” Trump further signaled he is prepared to “live with” whatever a Pentagon investigation concludes about the incident.
“Whatever the report shows, I’m willing to live with that report,” he added. Moreover, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the United States does not intentionally target schools and reaffirmed the ongoing investigation.
Videos and satellite images raise questions
The NYT report also noted that Iranian authorities had earlier released videos showing the destroyed school building and fragments of missile parts believed to be American-made. Independent investigators also examined satellite images and footage shared online.
The evidence suggested that the school building had clear markings showing it was an educational facility, including colourful murals and small sports grounds.
