On February 28, 2026, at the start of joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran, a missile struck a compound in the southern city of Minab that included Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School, a primary school for girls. The strike killed between 165 and 180 people—mostly female students aged 7 to 12 and school staff—making it one of the deadliest civilian incidents in the early days of the conflict.
A seven-second video released by Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency clearly shows a cruise missile impacting a building within the walled compound. Independent experts have geolocated the footage and confirmed it depicts a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile.
The video captures the missile in flight seconds before impact, with smoke already rising from the school area, indicating the strike occurred around the same time or as part of a coordinated attack (Brumfiel, 2026; Fiorella & Zoet, 2026).
Munitions experts, including Jeffrey Lewis from Middlebury College, have identified the projectile as consistent with a Tomahawk launched by the U.S. Navy—the only military known to deploy this weapon in the conflict. Israel does not possess Tomahawk missiles, and the design does not match Iranian systems. Bellingcat verified the filming location as a nearby residential construction site, matching landmarks such as a clinic entrance and surrounding structures (Fiorella & Zoet, 2026).
President Donald Trump publicly claimed the strike was carried out by Iran, stating their munitions are “very inaccurate.” However, the video evidence, combined with satellite imagery from Planet Labs, contradicts this: damage extended to multiple buildings, including the school (separated by a wall since 2016), and the missile originated from a U.S. naval launch. The Pentagon has acknowledged Tomahawk operations in southern Iran that day but insists no deliberate targeting of civilians occurred and that the incident is under investigation (Brumfiel, 2026; Singh, 2026).
The strike was part of Operation Epic Fury, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facilities, including an adjacent naval base. Analysts suggest outdated intelligence may have played a role, as older maps showed the school integrated into the military site. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch have condemned the incident as a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on educational facilities, and called for an independent probe (Edwards et al., 2026).
The video has fueled widespread international criticism and directly challenges official U.S. statements. Mass funerals took place in Minab, with Iranian sources reporting around 175 deaths—primarily young girls—corroborated by independent verifications.
References
- Brumfiel, G. (2026, March 8). Video appears to show U.S. missile striking Iranian school compound. NPR.
- Edwards, C., Bordeaux, T., Mezzofiore, G., Thomson, Q., & Yeung, I. (2026, March 6). Analysis suggests US was responsible for deadly strike on Iranian elementary school. CNN.
- Fiorella, G., & Zoet, M. (2026, March 8). Video shows US Tomahawk missile strike next to girls’ school in Iran. Bellingcat.
- Singh, K. (2026, March 2). US says it wouldn’t deliberately target a school after Iran said over 160 killed in strike. Reuters.
Article based on independent verifications and media reports. Published: March 2026.
