New evidence has emerged showing a U.S. missile strike on an Iranian facility near a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, on February 28, resulting in significant civilian casualties, according to multiple investigative reports. Video footage released by Iran’s Mehr News Agency and analyzed by Bellingcat shows a Tomahawk cruise missile hitting a building inside a walled compound, with smoke rising from the adjacent Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school. Iranian authorities report more than 170 fatalities, many of them children.

Bellingcat geolocated the footage and concluded that the missile was consistent with U.S. weaponry, noting that Israel does not possess Tomahawk missiles. This assessment contrasts with statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, who initially attributed the strike to Iran, citing the supposed inaccuracy of Iranian munitions. The Pentagon has confirmed that U.S. forces were operating in southern Iran at the time and an official investigation is ongoing.

Several media outlets corroborate the findings. The Wall Street Journal cited a U.S. official suggesting American forces were likely responsible, with indications the building functioned as an IRGC headquarters. The New York Times used satellite imagery and geolocated videos to show precision hits on both the school and an adjacent IRGC naval base, with one former U.S. Air Force official attributing the school strike to “target misidentification.” BBC Verify noted multiple impact points and burn marks across the compound, indicating penetrating munitions were used.

Satellite imagery and historical records show the compound was formerly an IRGC naval base, with the school built adjacent to it between 2013 and 2016. The base had reportedly been inactive for several years, and the adjacent airstrip was removed in 2024. Local reports indicate the clinic in the compound, opened in 2025 by IRGC chief Hossein Salami, may have still had ties to the IRGC at the time of the strike.

Eyewitness accounts and survivor reports suggest a possible “double-tap” effect, with a second explosion striking people who had sought shelter after the first. The timing of the attack coincided with broader U.S.-Israeli operations across southern Iran. U.S. military officials, including General Dan Caine, have stated that Tomahawks were fired by the U.S. Navy, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized that an investigation is ongoing.

UNESCO condemned the deaths as a serious violation of protections for educational facilities under international humanitarian law and called for a full investigation. Analysts suggest the strike may have resulted from outdated targeting data, as the school and clinic were located immediately next to the IRGC compound. The attack has intensified scrutiny of U.S. military operations in the region and highlighted the challenges of avoiding civilian casualties in densely built areas with former military infrastructure.