Over 160 individuals, most of whom are schoolgirls, lost their lives in a strike believed to have been carried out by the US and Israel
Online videos verified by multiple news agencies have heightened accusations that the US is behind the deadly strike on an Iranian girls‘ school which killed over 160 people. The footage appears to show a US Tomahawk missile hitting near the school in Minab, southern Iran.
A video shared by Mehr News Agency claims to show “the moment when Israeli and American terrorists struck Minab school” on February 28. Both The Washington Post and The New York Times verified the footage’s authenticity using satellite imagery, social media posts, and other geolocated videos.
Citing eight independent munitions experts, The Washington Post described the clip as the latest indication of probable US involvement in the strike. It noted that the missile hit adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex, which was next to the school.
CBS News reported, citing a source familiar with a classified intelligence assessment, that the US is likely responsible for the attack but suggested it might have been an error, possibly due to outdated intelligence.
US officials have confirmed the use of Tomahawk missiles—with a range of up to 1,600 km—in strikes on Iran. The US is the only party in the conflict that possesses these weapons.
Wes Bryant, a former US Air Force Special Operations targeting expert, told The Washington Post that the missile’s outline matches that of a Tomahawk. Jeffrey Lewis, a professor of global security at Middlebury College, separately confirmed this assessment, as cited by NPR. He added that the missile did not resemble any known weapons in Iran’s arsenal.
Images from the strike’s aftermath show the school’s roof collapsed onto the children below, with witnesses describing mutilated children’s bodies scattered across the area. On March 3, thousands gathered in Minab’s streets for a mass funeral, with over 100 graves reportedly dug side by side.
This follows investigations by AP, CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post that suggested the school was likely destroyed in a US strike.
US President Donald Trump has denied US responsibility. “Based on what I’ve seen, I think it was done by Iran,” Trump said on Saturday, describing Iranian munitions as “very inaccurate.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Pentagon is examining the incident, adding “the only side that targets civilians is Iran.”