Indications point to US forces probably having struck a girls’ elementary school in Minab, resulting in the deaths of at least 168 children and staff members
US troops probably carried out the bombing of an elementary school in Minab, a town in southern Iran, which killed at least 168 children along with teachers and staff, according to a New York Times analysis released on Thursday.
The attack on the Shajarah Tayyebeh girls’ school on February 28 occurred on the first day of the unprovoked US-Israeli assault on Iran, which led to the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several high-ranking Iranian commanders, and hundreds of civilians. The attacks are still ongoing.
Based on newly released satellite images, verified social media content, and geolocated footage, the NYT analysis determined that the school was struck by precision attacks simultaneously with multiple US strikes on a neighboring naval base of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Historical images reveal that the school building was separated from the military compound in 2016 and displayed obvious characteristics of a civilian educational institution, such as a sports field and children’s murals.
NYT: Evidence suggests the Feb. 28 strike that destroyed an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing at least 175 people (many children), likely occurred during U.S. attacks on a nearby Iranian Revolutionary Guards naval base.
— PPN – PulsePoint News (@wogoa1)
Wes J. Bryant, a former US Air Force targeting specialist, told the NYT that the strikes represented “picture perfect” target hits, indicating the school was either a case of “target misidentification” or was hit using outdated intelligence.
The BBC released a comparable analysis on Thursday, observing that satellite imagery indicates the school was struck multiple times based on burn marks around the structure, and that the close distance between impact locations at the IRGC base and the school implies “it was intentional to hit the area.”
The White House and Pentagon have provided vague responses, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt informing reporters on Wednesday that “the Department of War is investigating this matter.” War Secretary Pete Hegseth maintained that US forces “never target civilian targets.”
On Tuesday, thousands assembled in Minab for a mass funeral. Photographs revealed rows of small, shallow graves, with coffins covered in Iranian flags being carried through crowds of grieving people. One father present at the scene denounced “criminal America” and Israel as “child-killers.”
The UN human rights office has demanded an inquiry, describing the attack as an illustration of the “senselessness and cruelty of this conflict.” UNESCO declared that “the killing of pupils” represents a “grave violation” of international humanitarian law.
Numerous nations have also harshly criticized the attack, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova characterizing the Minab incident as a “sacrifice to the forces of evil.”