A preliminary U.S. military investigation found that American forces were responsible for a deadly strike on an elementary school in Iran in late February after outdated intelligence data led to a targeting mistake, according to a report Wednesday.
The strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school was the result of a targeting error in the early hours of the war that Israel and the U.S. started against Iran, the investigation found. Officers at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) generated strike coordinates using outdated Defense Intelligence Agency data that still identified the school building as part of an adjacent Iranian military base, a designation that was no longer accurate.
The Pentagon did not respond to Anadolu Agency's (AA) request for comment.
The findings align with a series of earlier analyses. CBS News had reported that a preliminary U.S. assessment found American forces were "likely" responsible, citing possible use of dated intelligence.
The report aligns with earlier analyses by the Bellingcat investigative outlet and the New York Times, both of which found evidence that a Tomahawk missile, a weapon only the US is known to possess among the warring parties, struck a compound of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) near the school.
U.S. President Donald Trump initially blamed Iran for the strike, saying Tehran's munitions lacked accuracy. The attack killed scores, many of them children, according to Iranian officials.
Several other outlets also pointed to U.S. responsibility based on satellite imagery, geolocated videos and expert assessments.
The Wall Street Journal, citing an American official, reported that US military investigators believe American forces were likely responsible, though no conclusion had been reached. The official claimed there were indications that the building had been used as an IRGC headquarters.
The New York Times, drawing on satellite imagery and geolocated videos, found the school was struck at the same time as precision hits on an adjacent IRGC naval base, with a former U.S. Air Force official suggesting the most likely explanation was "target misidentification."
BBC Verify reported multiple impact sites and burn marks around the school and nearby IRGC facilities, with analysts saying the damage pattern suggested the use of a penetrating munition.
A reconstruction by Britain’s The Guardian also placed the school directly adjacent to an IRGC compound, separated only by a wall built in recent years.
Middle East Eye, citing survivors and first responders, reported a possible "double-tap" strike – a second explosion hitting the area shortly after the first, striking those who had taken shelter.
CBC News noted the attack coincided with the first wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes across southern Iran.
UNESCO described the killing of students as a "grave violation" of protections for educational facilities under international humanitarian law and called for a full investigation. No side has formally claimed responsibility.
