New video footage links US missile to girls’ school strike in Iran
Graves are being prepared for the victims following a reported strike on a school in Minab, Iran, March 2, 2026. PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Media Department/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Newly released video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile striking an IRGC facility in Minab on 28 February, adding to growing evidence that the US was behind the strike on a girls’ school in the town, the Netherlands-based investigative outlet Bellingcat reported on Sunday, according to TRT.
Bellingcat geolocated footage released by Iran’s Mehr News Agency showing the Tomahawk missile’s impact and noted that smoke was already rising from a nearby school, where over 170 people were reportedly killed.
New video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile hitting an IRGC facility in Minab, Iran, on Feb 28, showing for the first time that the US struck the area. The footage also shows smoke already rising from the vicinity of the girls’ school, where 175 people were reportedly killed. pic.twitter.com/4jBXrNcRJO
The group highlighted that the US is the only party in the conflict known to possess such missiles, as Israel does not.
The girls' school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on February 28 during the first day of US and Israeli attacks on the country. Iran's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students.
Deliberately attacking a school, hospital, or any other civilian structure would likely be a war crime under international humanitarian law.
If a US role were to be confirmed, the strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of US conflicts in the Middle East.
Read: Iran launches fresh missile barrage after Mojtaba Khamenei takes charge
The findings appear to contradict US President Donald Trump’s claim on Saturday that Iran was responsible. “It was done by Iran,” Trump told reporters. “They are very inaccurate with their munitions.”
A US investigation into the incident is ongoing, and Bellingcat’s analysis aligns with several previous reports.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a US official, reported that American military investigators believe US forces were likely responsible, although no definitive conclusion has been reached. The official suggested there were signs the building had been used as an IRGC headquarters.
Massive Expose by 🇺🇸 CNN —
“We have sufficient evidence that the attack on the Iranian girls school was carried out by US Military
168 children & 14 teachers were killed in this disaster” 💔
Atleast US Media is showing some spine. Compare it to Indian Media 🤦 pic.twitter.com/lU4ORvWc4QThe New York Times, using satellite imagery and geolocated videos, found that the school was struck simultaneously with precision hits on a nearby IRGC naval base. A former US Air Force official said the most probable explanation was “target misidentification.”
BBC Verify documented multiple impact sites and burn marks around both the school and adjacent IRGC facilities, with analysts noting that the pattern of damage indicated the use of a penetrating munition.
Two US officials told Reuters that US military investigators believe it is likely that US forces were responsible for the strike. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, did not rule out the possibility that new evidence could emerge that absolves the US of responsibility and points to another party responsible for the incident.