In February of this year, on the first day of the military action between the United States and Israel against Iran, a US-made Tomahawk cruise missile struck a girls' elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab, resulting in at least 175 deaths, most of whom were children.
The British newspaper The Guardian published an article on June 21, stating that this attack is one of the most serious bombing incidents involving civilian deaths by the US military in decades. However, nearly four months have passed, and the Pentagon has yet to provide any explanation for why the US military launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at a school on the first day of the war.
“Can the findings of the investigation be made public?” Reports suggest that some critics suspect that the Pentagon will not release the findings at all, or will keep them secret on the grounds of confidentiality, thereby covering up these most serious mistakes from the public.
After this tragedy occurred, the US government tried to shift responsibility onto Iran. When asked about this matter by reporters in early March, President Trump responded without providing any evidence: “In my opinion, based on what I have seen, it was done by Iran.” He also added that Iran’s ammunition was “very inaccurate.”
However, various evidence points to the US military as the culprit. On June 17, during the G7 summit, Trump finally softened his stance on this matter, saying that “mistakes are inevitable, and war is cruel,” and that “nobody did it on purpose.” The New York Times commented that this might be the closest Trump has come to admitting that the United States is responsible for the attack.
Some American officials previously revealed anonymously to the media that the US military believed the attack location was a base of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
The Guardian notes that as the United States and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding, the U.S. secret investigation into this attack became a case to test the concept of 'real combat' proposed by U.S. Secretary of War Hagel. In early March, Hagel stated: "Our rules of engagement are bold and precise, aimed at unleashing America's power, not restricting it."
On March 20, 2026, local time, Iranians gathered at a cemetery to mourn the victims of the attack on a girls’ school in Minab City. Visual China
Mohammadreza Ahmadi Tifakani lost two children in this campus bombing. When the first missile struck, his 7-year-old daughter Hanieh was killed along with all the students in the women’s department. According to witnesses, his 10-year-old son Sobhan survived the initial explosion, but when he returned to the school to find his sister, he was killed by a second explosion.
"I went to the morgue myself to identify the two bodies," Tifakani told The Guardian, "Sobhan had one eye missing, half of his face was gone, and his leg was broken. Hanjee's skull shattered, but his facial features were intact. Despite how badly Sobhan's body was damaged, I immediately recognized him."
Several former US Department of Defense officials and national security officials told The Guardian that they doubt whether the U.S. government will be held responsible for the deaths of the elementary school children, and even believe that the U.S. will not release a complete report on the attack.
A senior official of the five-story building said, “In military operations, there will inevitably be some errors in target identification, leading to civilian injuries or deaths. However, there are usually procedures for investigation, accountability and taking responsibility.”
"Even if there is no reduction in civilian casualties office, there is a very clear procedure. However, I am highly doubtful whether the Pentagon under General Hersch, will implement it through and through." The former official added.
The Guardian reports that as part of the Pentagon’s “counter-reawakening” campaign, the U.S. military has closed or reduced departments responsible for reviewing civilian casualties. It also states that decisions made by combat personnel during battles will not be subject to strict scrutiny. The report argues that under Hagel’s leadership, the Pentagon’s weakened role in monitoring civilian casualties could make it easier for the military to avoid responsibility for this incident.
Trump said last week that the investigation is still ongoing. The U.S. Central Command did not provide any new information when asked about the progress of the investigation.
However, The Guardian noted that media reports indicate that the investigation has actually been completed. Preliminary results show that the reason for the attack was the use by the US military of outdated positioning data that had been in use for seven years. These data failed to reveal that the building next to the Revolutionary Guard base was actually a girls’ elementary school.
The New York Times reported last week that at least one analyst had warned colleagues several years ago that the United States seemed to have targeted one of Minab's schools. However, the targeting data was not updated, and military officials continued to recognize that location as a “legitimate” target for bombing.
Tifchaani said he had little hope that the United States would investigate or that the international community would hold them accountable. When asked what he wanted to say about the legal institutions or investigators involved in investigating this bombing, Tifchaani said, “They witnessed everything themselves. We saw what happened in Gaza and Palestine. Now, the same tragedy is happening to our own children. No matter what we say to them, nothing will change.”
It is worth mentioning that the investigation by the U.S. Congress into this incident has also been delayed.
"The US military's attack on Minab is one of the most horrific segments of Trump's illegal war in Iran," said Iranian-American federal congressman Yassamin Ansari. She has sent a letter to the Trump administration demanding a response to the attack, but "has received virtually no reply."
Donald Trump is concealing the truth from the American people and Congress, and deflecting responsibility onto H.E.G.S. Minister, because he does not want to inform the public about his truly terrifying actions against Iranian people… I will continue to do my utmost to seek justice for these girls' families.
Former U.S. Air Force special operations expert and former head of civilian injury assessment at the Pentagon, Wes Bryant, said that his few colleagues who are still monitoring efforts to reduce civilian injuries at the Pentagon have been prevented from accessing the preliminary results of the investigation.
"I believe that both Herzog and Trump will do their utmost to suppress this investigation," Bryant said, "So even if the investigation is real, it won't be leaked out unless there are courageous whistleblowers." He added, "Those who see the report will be very few."
Bryant said that the attack that caused thousands of civilian deaths in Iran indicates that the “total harm” acceptable by the United States is increasing. This is not only a pure act of negligence and recklessness, but also indicates a decline in the culture of the senior military leadership.
