Outdated intel likely led US to carry out deadly strike on Iranian elementary school, AP sources say

US Military Investigation Points to Outdated Intelligence in Fatal Iran School Strike

A preliminary U.S. military investigation suggests that outdated intelligence likely led to a deadly missile strike on an elementary school in Iran that killed over 165 people, many of them children, according to a U.S. official and another person familiar with the findings.

The incident occurred during the opening hours of the conflict and has become a focal point of the war. If confirmed to be a U.S. operation, it would rank among the deadliest civilian casualty events caused by American military actions in the last two decades.

President Donald Trump initially placed blame on Iran before later expressing uncertainty and ultimately pledging to accept the Pentagon’s investigation results. The issue gained new urgency after the New York Times reported Wednesday that a preliminary investigation found the U.S. was responsible.

According to a person familiar with the preliminary findings, U.S. Central Command relied on outdated target coordinates provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency for the strike. The agency has not responded to requests for comment, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that “the investigation is still ongoing.”

More than 45 Democratic senators sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers about U.S. culpability and expressing concern about cuts to civilian protection resources within the Pentagon.

“Under this administration, budgetary and personnel cuts at the Department have robbed military commands of crucial resources to prevent and respond to civilian casualties,” the senators wrote. The cuts affected both U.S. Central Command, which is leading operations against Iran, and the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, established in 2022 specifically to reduce civilian casualties.

The revelation threatens to erode public support for U.S. military action against Iran at a time when Trump, who campaigned against “stupid” overseas wars, faces questions about the conflict’s purpose and exit strategy.

A former Pentagon official suggested the February 28 strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School, located near an Iranian Revolutionary Guard base, resulted from staff reductions in civilian harm mitigation programs and the current administration’s emphasis on “lethality over legality.”

Multiple factors indicate the strike could have been avoided. It occurred on a Saturday morning—the start of the Iranian school week—when the building was full of children. Satellite analysis by The Associated Press revealed that the school and other targets struck that day had characteristics visible from the air that could have identified them as civilian sites.

Evidence pointing to U.S. responsibility has grown stronger. New footage emerged showing what experts identified as a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile hitting the military compound as smoke rose from the school area.

Satellite imagery shows that while the school building was once part of the military compound, around 2017 a wall was added to separate them, and the watchtower was removed. The school walls were painted with bright blue and pink murals visible from space. The facility was clearly labeled as a school on online maps and maintained a public website with information about students and staff.

International law prohibits strikes on civilian structures like schools, even when located near military targets. “The proximity of a school to a valid military target does not change its status as a civilian site,” said Elise Baker, a senior staff lawyer at the Atlantic Council.

Senator Tim Kaine questioned whether the U.S. had “changed our traditional targeting rules or we made a mistake.” Republican Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota also called for a thorough investigation, saying the military must “do everything you can to eliminate those mistakes going forward.”

The Pentagon’s Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, established by bipartisan legislation in 2022, was designed to prevent such civilian casualties. By April 2023, it had a full-time director and an initial staff of 30 civilians expected to grow. However, according to Wes Bryant, who worked there as Branch Chief of Civil Harm Assessments, the office’s size was drastically reduced under Secretary Hegseth, and work on updating “no-strike lists” of civilian targets was halted.

U.S. Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins denied reports that only a single person remained assigned to the civilian protection mission but declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.