An ongoing military investigation has preliminarily concluded that American forces were responsible for the deadly Feb. 28 airstrike on an Iranian girls’ elementary school, The New York Times reports.
As Zeale News previously reported, airstrikes hit Shajarah Tayyebeh Elementary School in the town of Minab in the early hours of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Iranian officials have said about 175 people, including children, were killed in the strike. The U.S.-Israeli military operation also targeted a naval base operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that was located on the same block as the school.
According to the Times, people briefed on the investigation said the missile strike may have been the result of outdated targeting data that the U.S. Central Command received from the Defense Intelligence Agency. CNN previously reported that satellite imagery from 2013 indicated the school and the IRGC facility were once part of the same base.
Officials stressed that the findings are preliminary and significant questions remain “about why the outdated information had not been double checked,” the Times reported.
The outlet also reported that investigators are reviewing the work of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which provides and analyzes the satellite imagery used to identify potential military targets.
The findings contradict an earlier statement from President Donald Trump, who had claimed Iran was responsible for the strike. Other administration officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, have maintained a more measured posture, saying the matter is under investigation.
Multiple outlets, however, have reported that the tragedy was likely caused by a U.S. strike, citing satellite imagery and comments from U.S. military investigators. One piece of evidence many outlets pointed to was video footage showing a Tomahawk missile striking the IRGC base that neighbored the school, as Zeale News previously reported.
When asked by a reporter about the preliminary findings on March 11, Trump responded, “I don’t know about it.”
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, apologized for the strike March 10, calling it a “terrible, terrible mistake.” He told CNN March 11 that he wouldn’t “hide behind” the investigation, breaking from the Trump administration’s wait-and-see stance.
“I wish it hadn’t happened. I’m sorry it happened. I can assure you it wasn’t intentional,” Kennedy said, later adding, “And when you make a mistake, you ought to admit it.”
Kennedy said he hopes the investigation ultimately proves him wrong, but lamented that “the kids are still dead.”
Meanwhile, some international leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have accused the U.S. and Israel of violating international law and called for an independent investigation into the strike. According to The Telegraph, Meloni criticized the U.S. for not asking to use her country’s air bases for its bombers and fighters and said Americans and Israelis are acting “outside the scope of international law.” She also demanded that Washington find out who was responsible for the strike on the girls’ school, which she called a “massacre."