Minab Elementary School Strike Kills 175 Children as U.S. Military Investigation Points to Outdated Intelligence

A missile strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, a rural city in southern Iran, killed at least 175 people, the majority of them children, in an attack that a preliminary U.S. military investigation has attributed to American forces acting on outdated intelligence. The February 28 assault on the two-story school building — clearly labeled on public satellite imagery and online maps — has drawn international condemnation and renewed scrutiny over civilian protection standards during the ongoing U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran.

The school, which once sat within a military compound nearly a decade ago, was reportedly misidentified due to intelligence failures. Despite U.S. Defense Department statements celebrating the precision of its broader military operations, the destruction of an active elementary school has raised serious questions about targeting protocols and accountability. President Donald Trump has deflected questions regarding U.S. responsibility for the strike.

The attack, which occurred before Iran launched any retaliatory strikes against U.S. and Israeli military installations in the Gulf region, has provoked widespread grief across Iran, including among citizens who actively oppose the country's government. Hassan Ahmadian, a political scientist at the University of Tehran, noted that images of the children killed have generated unprecedented public anger. Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, stated that the strikes are doing nothing to protect Iranian civilians or civil society activists. The incident has intensified global debate over civilian casualties in military campaigns targeting Muslim-majority populations.