Who bombed Iranian elementary school that killed more than 170 girls? What we know so far

An attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in southern Iran has become one of the most controversial and deadly incidents of the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

As the conflict approaches its second week, the strike on the girls' school has emerged as the bloodiest single episode so far. On 28 February, during the opening hours of the assault on Iran, a missile struck the school, killing more than 170 people – most of them schoolgirls.

Since the incident, both Israel and the United States have attempted to distance themselves from the attack, even as evidence cited by investigators and analysts suggests the possibility that the US was responsible. For critics, the bombing has come to symbolise the devastating civilian toll of the war launched by the US and Israel, and Iran's retaliatory campaign of missiles and drones targeting Israel, US facilities across the region, and Gulf states, according to Al Jazeera.

What happened in the Iranian school strike?

The girls' school, Shajareh Tayyebeh, was located in the city of Minab near a base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The building was struck by a missile on 28 February at around 10:45am local time (07:15 GMT), a peak hour for classroom activity. The explosion destroyed the two-storey structure, causing the roof to collapse on students and teachers inside.

At least 170 people, most of them children, were killed, while dozens of others were injured.

The school stands in Minab in Iran's strategic Hormozgan province, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and hosts several IRGC naval facilities.

Iran quickly blamed the strike on the US-Israel coalition, while both countries denied responsibility. Satellite imagery showed the school building intact earlier that morning, even as US and Israeli air raids were underway across Minab and other parts of Hormozgan, Al Jazeera reports.

Who does Iran blame?

Iran has blamed both the United States and Israel for the attack.

On 28 February, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted a photograph of the strike on X, saying the blast destroyed the girls' school and killed "innocent children".

"These crimes against the Iranian people will not go unanswered," he wrote.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also condemned what he described as a "blatant crime" and urged the United Nations Security Council to act.

Later, Baghaei said the strike on the Minab school appeared to be a "double-tap" missile attack, Al Jazeera reported. A "double tap" refers to two strikes hitting the same location in quick succession, with the second often targeting rescuers or those responding to the initial blast.

What does the evidence suggest?

Footage from the site suggests the school was likely struck by a Tomahawk missile.

Preliminary investigations indicate a US missile may have hit the building because of a targeting error, although the exact circumstances remain under investigation.

Analysts say the error may have occurred because the school is located on the same block as IRGC naval facilities, and the site was previously part of the military base before being converted into a school.

For years, however, the school had been physically separated and had its own walls and entrances.

"It seems that the United States Central Command did not keep its target list up to date," Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Al Jazeera.

"Apparently, the building shifted some years ago from military use to the school, and the Central Command targeting cell did not pick up that change," he added.

Nearby facilities include the Shahid Absalan clinic under the IRGC Navy's medical command, about 238 metres from the school, and the Seyed al-Shohada IRGC cultural complex, roughly 286 metres away.

What has the US said?

US President Donald Trump initially suggested that Iran itself might have carried out the strike, despite a lack of evidence supporting that claim.

"Based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran," Trump said on Saturday. "We think it was done by Iran because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions."

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was standing behind Trump at the time, declined to endorse the claim and instead said the Pentagon was investigating the incident.

However, The New York Times later reported that preliminary findings suggested a US Tomahawk missile struck the school because of a targeting mistake. Asked about the report, Trump said he was unaware of it.

Trump also claimed Iran "also has some Tomahawks", a statement widely dismissed by military experts.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would never intentionally target a school.

Members of the administration have repeatedly said an investigation is ongoing and that they cannot comment while it continues, Al Jazeera's Washington correspondent Mike Hanna reported.

What has Israel said?

Israel has denied any involvement.

"We have checked multiple times and have found no connection between the [Israeli army] and whatever happened in that school," Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said.

What are US Democrats asking for?

Nearly all Senate Democrats have signed a letter to Hegseth demanding a swift investigation.

"The results of this school attack are horrific. The majority of those killed were girls between the ages of seven and 12. Neither the United States nor the Israeli government has yet taken responsibility," the letter, signed by 46 senators, stated.

Lawmakers asked whether US forces conducted the strike, what steps the military has taken to reduce civilian harm, and whether artificial intelligence tools played any role in targeting decisions.

Cancian said confirmation of US responsibility could damage the military's reputation and intensify anti-war sentiment in Congress and among the public.

Has this happened before?

Despite repeated claims that US operations focus only on military targets, civilian casualties have occurred in previous conflicts.

During the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, US forces struck an annex of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade after misidentifying the building as a Yugoslav military facility. The attack killed three Chinese journalists and injured more than 20 people.

Washington later said the error occurred because analysts relied on outdated maps that mistakenly identified the compound as a military target. The incident triggered a major diplomatic crisis with China.

Cancian also cited the 1991 bombing of the Amiriyah bunker in Baghdad during Operation Desert Storm. The US believed the site was a military command facility, but it was sheltering civilians. Two precision-guided bombs penetrated the bunker, killing more than 400 people, many of them women and children.

US officials later said they had relied mainly on satellite intelligence and did not realise civilians were using the bunker as a shelter.

Earlier still, the 1968 My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War saw US soldiers kill between 347 and 504 civilians. The incident was initially covered up but later exposed by journalists Seymour Hersh and Ronald Ridenhour. Only one officer, Lieutenant William Calley Jr, was convicted, eventually serving about three and a half years under house arrest.

Investigations into the Minab school bombing are still underway. Analysts say that even if US responsibility is officially confirmed, the consequences may be limited.

"If the error can be traced to a single person, then there is the possibility of disciplinary action," Cancian said.

"However, the secretary has repeatedly told service members, 'I have your back,' so the likelihood of action may be lower," he added.