Images show Tomahawk missile likely struck Iran girls’ school, killing nearly 200
The videos and images were graphic — grieving adults holding what remained of the children who attended Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, Iran, after military strikes leveled the building. Immediately after the devastation, people were uncertain what had happened, but as they dug through the debris, more damning evidence came to light.
After the bombing, Iranian state broadcasters posted photos of what they said were pieces of an American-made Tomahawk missile found in the remnants of the school. The New York Times confirmed the authenticity of the fragments seen in the photos, saying they match Iranian media claims. The missile fragments have markings consistent with newer Tomahawk missiles. The U.S. has used the same type of rockets in previous attacks, the Irish Times reports.
Straight Arrow News has not separately confirmed the photos and has contacted The Times with questions about how they reached their conclusion. We are still waiting to hear back.
But there are still questions about why a country would target a school for girls aged seven to 12 and, if it was a mistake, why the country proceeded to strike a second time about 40 minutes after the first strike.
What we know about the bombing
Despite not knowing every detail, eyewitness accounts and other reputable sources offered a clear picture of what happened.
Al Jazeera reports that on the morning of Feb. 28, life in Minab, Iran, was normal, and most were going about their day. At about 10:30 a.m. local time, traffic was flowing as usual, with parents driving to work after dropping their children off at school.
It was the first day of the school week, and dozens of young girls gathered at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school, the publication reports. Then, at about 10:45 a.m., as students were changing classes, a guided missile struck the school, killing many instantly and burying others under tons of concrete and metal.
Two first responders and a parent of one of the students killed in the strikes told the Middle East Eye, a London-based news group, that a subsequent strike hit the school as students were taking shelter.
“When the first bomb hit the school, one of the teachers and the principal moved a group of students to the prayer hall to protect them,” a Red Crescent medic told the publication. “The principal called the parents and told them to come and pick up their children. But the second bomb hit that area as well. Only a small number of those who had taken shelter survived.”
Competing narratives
Immediately after the bombing, some reports blamed the Iranian government for the attack, but following reports later debunked those claims, Al Jazeera reports. The U.S. and Israel said they were unaware of reports that a strike destroyed a school.
It wasn’t until March 2 that U.S. officials acknowledged they carried out strikes in the area. However, the Trump administration didn’t mention the school until days later.
On March 4, reporters asked press secretary Karoline Leavitt about the attack and if the U.S. carried out the strikes. She denied the reports and accused the press of reporting on Iranian propaganda.
“So I would caution you from pointing the finger at the United States of America when it comes to targeting civilians, because that’s not something these armed forces do,” she said, according to The Hill.
On Friday, Reuters and other outlets reported that U.S. military investigators believed that the U.S. was likely responsible for the strike. However, they cautioned that the investigation was still ongoing.
While on Air Force One the next day, Trump denied America’s involvement in the strike, saying, “In my opinion and based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.”
“They’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions,” Trump continued.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was also on board and said the Pentagon is investigating but added that the “only side that targets civilians is Iran.”
On Monday, CNN reported that Mehr News, an Iranian news agency, posted videos showing U.S. missiles striking the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base located next to the girls’ school. CNN reported that the video was recorded at a nearby construction site and that experts confirmed that the projectile seen in the video was a Tomahawk missile.
In the video, the camera pans to the right and shows a large plume of black smoke billowing from the direction of the school. SAN has not verified the authenticity of this video.
On Monday afternoon, reporters asked Trump why he was the only person in his administration to directly blame Iran for the attack. He said that was because he didn’t “know enough about it” and that other countries do buy Tomahawk missiles.
“But tomahawks are used by others,” Trump said. “As you know, numerous other nations have Tomahawks — they buy them from us. But I will certainly, whatever the report shows, I’m willing to live with that report.”
However, the U.S. doesn’t sell Tomahawk missiles to Iran or any other adversary. Israel, the only other nation involved in the attacks, also doesn’t have access to them, according to Forbes.
Questions left unanswered
The Pentagon is continuing its investigation into the attack and has refused to comment until it’s completed. The U.S. has not provided a timeline for when the investigation may conclude.
Since the attacks began, Iranian officials have not allowed independent investigators to surveil the area, Newsweek reports. The only available evidence comes from satellite imagery, video footage, and Iranian state media, all of which have limitations and could be biased.
It’s still unclear whether whoever fired the missiles did so deliberately or mistakenly. Experts interviewed by CBC News said that the strike was deliberate, as the U.S. may have mistaken the building for part of the naval base, since the school was once part of it.
Even if the military admits the strike was a mistake, experts say it would still be “a very serious violation of international law.”
“Attackers are under an obligation to do everything feasible to verify the status of the targeted object,” Janina Dill, international law expert at the University of Oxford, wrote on X.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
