Two sources related to the U.S. military investigation into the deadly missile strike on an elementary school in Iran that killed more than 160 people – mostly children – at the beginning of the U.S.’s “Operation Epic Fury” in conjunction with Israel, revealed to The Associated Press (AP News) that outdated intelligence is most likely what led the U.S. to carry out the attack.
On Mar. 6, The Floridian reported that two U.S. officials who spoke with news outlet Reuters believe that American forces might have been responsible for the airstrike on the Iranian girls’ elementary school, with officials confirming that the probe was still ongoing and had not reached a conclusion.
According to information gathered by AP News by an individual familiar with the military’s preliminary findings, “U.S. Central Command relied on target coordinates for the strike using outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency.”
President Donald Trump told reporters over the weekend that he believed the incident at Shajarah Tayyebeh Girls’ School, near the Strait of Hormuz, during the U.S. and Israel’s opening salvo, was “done by Iran.”
"In my opinion, based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran… We think it was done by Iran, because they're very inaccurate with their munitions, they have no accuracy whatsoever, it was done by Iran," President Trump stated without citing evidence, following the dignified transfer of six U.S. soldiers who were killed in retaliatory Iranian strikes in Kuwait.
The school was located near a compound connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to images analyzed by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
“The preliminary finding prompted immediate calls for more information from the Pentagon,” AP News wrote. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the investigation is still ongoing.”
Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, condemned the incident on Mar. 11, accusing the U.S. in a post on X.
“Double-tap American #tomahawk missile that slaughtered 168 Iranian little angels in the city of #Minab on 28 February 2026,” Baqaei wrote. “An unforgivable egregious WAR CRIME that must not go with impunity.”
