WALID NASSAR
According to Reuters, outdated intelligence may have played a role in a U.S. strike that reportedly hit a girls’ school in the Iranian city of Minab, killing scores of students.
Two sources familiar with the matter said preliminary findings from an internal investigation by the United States Department of Defense indicate that U.S. forces were likely responsible for the strike. Video circulating online appears to show a Tomahawk missile hitting the area, although the precise sequence of events remains under review.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said roughly 150 students were killed in the attack. Archived records suggest the school stands adjacent to a compound linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Officials involved in the inquiry said the targeting package may have relied on intelligence that was no longer current. How such information remained in the targeting process—and whether additional factors contributed—remains under investigation.
The Pentagon said the incident “remains under investigation,” declining to provide further comment while the review continues.
U.S. President Donald Trump initially suggested Iran might have been responsible for the strike but later said he would await the results of the inquiry before drawing conclusions.
If confirmed, the episode could represent one of the deadliest civilian casualty incidents linked to U.S. military operations in recent decades, raising renewed questions about intelligence verification and targeting procedures during high-intensity conflict.
