New Evidence: US Used Outdated Intelligence Data, Attacked School Killing 168 Students in Iran

The United States stands accused of responsibility for an attack on a primary school in Iran that killed 168 children and 14 teachers. The US military struck the school unintentionally.

According to two sources briefed on preliminary investigation findings, the targeting error likely resulted from outdated information about a naval facility nearby.

The 28 February strike on Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab occurred during a US military operation against facilities belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the vicinity.

“US Central Command generated target coordinates for the strike using outdated information provided by the Defence Intelligence Agency, which contributed to the error,” a source told CNN.

Satellite imagery from 2013 showed that the school and IRGC base were formerly part of the same complex. However, imagery from 2016 revealed that a fence had been erected to separate the school from the rest of the base. A separate entrance to the school had been constructed.

By December 2025, imagery showed dozens of people in the school courtyard apparently playing.

The New York Times initially reported the details of the preliminary investigation, which remains ongoing.

President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that he was unaware of the New York Times report indicating that an ongoing military investigation had determined that the United States was responsible for the deadly strike on a school in southern Iran.

“I wasn’t aware of it,” Trump said when asked by CNN’s Kristen Holmes about the Times report and whether he accepted responsibility.