Was Iranian School Bombing Deliberate Attack Or Intel Failure? US To Probe Its Own Forces Over Killing Of 165 Students

The bombing of an Iranian school in Minab on Saturday, which killed at least 165 schoolgirls and staff, was reportedly under investigation amid massive backlash over the killing of innocent lives. The school was targeted by American and Israeli forces in what was called a “precision strike” conducted  on the first day of Operation Epic Fury.

However, according to a report by the New York Times, the Trump administration has started an investigation into its own forces over whether the bombing was an intelligence failure or a deliberate attempt to target top Iranian officials. Although an official response to the investigation is yet to be made public by the American authorities, the step seems obvious after Tehran had conducted a mass funeral of the schoolgirls  killed in the attack. An aerial photograph showcasing a mass grave also went viral on social media platforms, triggering a massive backlash for the American authorities.

Evidence of Precision Strikes

CBC News concluded that the destruction resulted from a direct precision airstrike on a military complex adjacent to school building, signifying that targeted structure was physically part of an IRGC base. Visual investigations verified multiple videos from the scene showing several distinct smoke plumes, indicating the area was hit more than once. This was further confirmed by satellite imagery from Planet Labs, which revealed multiple impact craters within the military complex.

A military researcher at Factnameh, an Iranian fact-checking group based in Toronto, claimed that impact patterns shown in satellite images were consistent with precision-guided munitions. The researcher said that such systems are designed for high accuracy, suggesting that the strike on the school was either a significant failure of the weapons system or a "huge intelligence failure" by US Central Command (CENTCOM).

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Denials and International Reaction

Despite the mounting evidence, neither the US nor Israel has officially claimed responsibility for the strike. Both governments have stated that they are investigating reports of civilian harm. Pentagon and State Department officials have repeatedly stressed that American forces do not deliberately target civilian infrastructure.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed alarm over the incident, highlighting that children must be protected during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The committee reminded all parties that children are among the most vulnerable in armed conflicts and must never be treated as "collateral damage."

Mourning in Minab

Following the tragedy, Iran held state funerals on Tuesday for the victims, many of whom were students. State television broadcast images of large crowds of mourners in Minab weeping over bodies wrapped in white shrouds.

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The conflict, now in its seventh day, was ignited after an airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. To date, the violence has reportedly claimed the lives of at least 1,230 people in Iran, over 70 in Lebanon, and approximately a dozen in Israel.