Minab School Attack: US probe says American forces killed 170 Iranian schoolgirls

American warplanes appear to have deliberately bombed an elementary school full of children on the first day of strikes against Iran, according to US military investigators. At least 170 students and staff were killed in the attack, which survivors describe as a calculated act of terror.

Investigators now believe American forces were “likely” responsible for the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Hormozgan province. Reuters reported this, citing American officials.

The attack happened on February 28, the first day of the coordinated US-Israeli strikes against Iran. It is considered the deadliest known civilian incident since the conflict began.

The New York Times said evidence collected by the newspaper, including satellite images and verified videos, shows the school building was badly damaged by a precision strike.

Officials had earlier said US forces were targeting naval facilities near the Strait of Hormuz, which suggests American warplanes were most likely responsible for the strike.

Satellite images from Planet Labs show large destruction in the area. Several precision strikes hit at least six buildings along with the school. Four buildings inside a nearby naval base were completely destroyed, while two others showed direct impact points on their roofs.

Wes J. Bryant, a national security analyst and former US Air Force adviser on civilian harm at the Pentagon, reviewed the images. He said the buildings, including the school, were hit with “picture perfect” precision strikes.

The school is located in the southern town of Minab. Since Saturday is the start of the Iranian workweek, children and teachers were in class when the strike happened.

More than 170 students and staff were killed, many of them pulled from the rubble as rescue workers tried to save survivors.

According to the newspaper, older satellite images clearly show that the building was a school. It had a sports field and other recreational areas.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the attack on the school was deliberate. He claimed it was meant to distract Iranian forces with rescue efforts while military targets were attacked.

He said the children who died were “little angels” who were “brutally massacred” to help aggressors strike military targets more easily.

Beth Van Schaack, a former US State Department official who now teaches at Stanford University, said US intelligence should have been able to identify that a school was nearby.

At a White House press conference, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if the US carried out the strike. She replied, “Not that we know of,” and said the Department of War is investigating the incident.

War secretary Pete Hegseth also confirmed that an investigation is underway.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said US forces were carrying out strikes in southern Iran as part of several military operations in the region.

Some online claims suggested a misfired Iranian missile caused the damage. However, analysts and The New York Times said a single missile could not have caused such precise damage to multiple buildings.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva has called for urgent international action to stop the attacks on Iranian schools. The UN human rights office has also demanded an investigation.

UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the responsibility lies with the forces that carried out the strike to investigate the incident.