Pentagon Investigation Confirms US Responsibility for Deadly Iranian School Strike
A preliminary Pentagon investigation has concluded that the United States military was behind a devastating missile strike on an Iranian elementary school that resulted in the deaths of more than 170 children. This finding directly contradicts previous assertions made by President Donald Trump, who had suggested without evidence that Iran was responsible for the attack.
Contradictory Claims and Emerging Evidence
The investigation's revelation comes just days after President Trump told reporters, "No, in my opinion, based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran," when questioned about the strike that killed mostly children. The White House has not formally addressed the Pentagon's findings, stating only that "the investigation is still ongoing" during a recent press conference.
Investigative group Bellingcat has uncovered crucial evidence that appears to refute Trump's claims. The organization shared a three-second video clip, originally circulated by Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency, showing a munition falling on a building near the school on the day of the attack. The video captures a dark plume rising into air already filled with smoke from earlier strikes on the compound.
Geolocation and Weapon Identification
Trevor Ball, a Bellingcat researcher, successfully geolocated the video to a site adjacent to Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, a finding independently verified by the Associated Press. Ball identified the munition as a Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon system exclusively possessed by the United States in this conflict.
This represents the first concrete evidence of the specific weapon used in the strike. US Central Command has previously acknowledged employing Tomahawk missiles during this war and even released a photograph showing the USS Spruance, part of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group positioned within range of the school, firing a Tomahawk missile on February 28.
International Law Implications
Janina Dill, an international law expert at Oxford University, has emphasized that even if the strike resulted from misidentification—with attackers mistakenly believing the school was part of a neighboring IRGC base—it would still constitute "a very serious violation of international law."
The US military has focused primarily on naval targets in the region while acknowledging strikes in the province where the school is located, including operations in the immediate vicinity of the educational facility.
Witness Accounts and Victim Details
Witnesses from the Red Crescent emergency response organization described a "double tap" strike pattern, where an initial attack is followed by a second strike targeting survivors and medical personnel. One medic told Middle East Eye that after the first bomb hit, teachers moved students to a prayer hall for protection, but the second bomb struck that same area, resulting in minimal survival among those who had sought shelter.
The attack claimed the lives of at least 61 identified victims, predominantly children aged between two months and 17 years. The victims include:
- Hana Dehqani, 8 years old
- Fatemeh Salari, 34 years old
- Reza Habashian, 7 years old
- Arya Bahadori, 9 years old
- Ali Asghar Zaeri, 8 years old
- Zahra Bahrami, 7 years old
- Ahmad Soltani, 8 years old
- Hamed Par-ashegh-nezhad, 7 years old
- Fatemeh Yazdan-panah, age unknown
- Mahdis Nazari, 7 years old
- Athena Chamani-nezhad, 6 years old
- Amirghasem Zaeri, 7 years old
- Fatemeh Dorazehi, 10 years old
- Arad Ahmadizadeh, 8 years old
- Saman Karimzadeh, 7 years old
- Fatemeh Shahdadi, age unknown
- Nadia Shahmiri, 9 years old
- Parham Ranjbari, 9 years old
- Mahmoud Gholamyani, 35 years old
- Fatemeh Rahdar, 10 years old
- Amir-Hassan Rasouli, 8 years old
- Zahra Behrouzi, 8 years old
- Mohammadhatam Raisi, 10 years old
- Asna Raisi, 12 years old
- Benyamin Jangjou, 8 years old
- Mohammad-Sadra Zarei, 8 years old
- Maryam Pazark, 10 years old
- Liana Mohammadi, 7 years old
- Mandana Salari, 29 years old
- Sara Shayesteh, 5 years old
- Zoha Pasand, 8 years old
- Esra Zakeri, 9 years old
- Salma Zakeri, 6 years old
- Fatemeh Taherifard, 29 years old
- Zahra Ansari, 7 years old
- Fatemeh Fadavi, 10 years old
- Mahna Zarei, 2 months old
- Athareh Zarei, 10 years old
- Alireza Zarei, 9 years old
- Mohammadreza Shahsavari, 8 years old
- Samira Basarde, 38 years old
- Ehsan Saleminia, 6 years old
- Fatemeh Zahra Karimi, 7 years old
- Zeynab Bahrami, 10 years old
- Mohammad Shah-dousti, 8 years old
- Reza Barani, 7 years old
- Athena Ahmadzadeh, 10 years old
- Khadijeh Darvishi, 9 years old
- Roqayyeh Karimi, 42 years old
- Reza Ranjbar, 6 years old
- Marzieh Bashiri-far, 38 years old
- Mohammad-Mehdi Chegini, 10 years old
- Mohammadian Bahrami, 17 years old
- Ali-Akbar Karyani Pak, 8 years old
- Hananeh Mehdikhah, 7 years old
- Fereshteh Sangarzadeh, 44 years old
- Mohammad-Ali Karyani Pak, 7 years old
- Parsa Mokhtari-nasab, 12 years old
- Arina Arab-Kish, 8 years old
- Makan Nasiri, 12 years old
- Esra Farahi-Zadeh, age unknown
The Pentagon's investigation continues as international scrutiny intensifies over what appears to be one of the deadliest attacks on children in recent conflict history.
