Iranian School Appeared on US List of Targets

A primary school in southern Iran where more than 170 people were killed, many of them children, during U.S. and Israeli airstrikes earlier this year had been included on an American target list and may have been mistakenly identified as a military site, according to reporting from the Washington Post.

The strike occurred Feb. 28, when a U.S. Tomahawk missile hit Shajarah Tayyiba Primary School, which is located near a military base that American forces were targeting. A military investigation now underway has concluded that the United States carried out the strike. According to individuals familiar with the inquiry who spoke to the New York Times, U.S. Central Command relied on outdated intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency when determining the coordinates used for the attack.

Sources familiar with the operation said the building in the city of Minab had previously been listed as a factory and was cleared as a military target. Investigators believe the structure may have been mistaken for a nearby weapons storage facility. Israeli officials have said their military neither carried out the strike nor reviewed the targeting decision.

Satellite images examined by the Washington Post indicate the school had once been located within an Iranian naval compound and may previously have been connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. However, the images show that by 2015 the school had been separated from the base by walls. By 2017, a playground was visible at the site, and a separate medical clinic was later built nearby.

Experts in international law and armed conflict say the school’s location near an IRGC facility does not automatically make it a legitimate military target. Human Rights Watch has called for an investigation into possible war crimes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that Iranian forces sometimes conduct military operations from locations such as schools and hospitals, though his office did not provide additional evidence when asked.

The New York Times noted that an attack on a school filled with children would likely rank among the most devastating military mistakes in decades.

The incident is also increasing scrutiny over the growing use of artificial intelligence in selecting and prioritizing military targets during operations against Iran. Both the U.S. and Israel use Palantir’s Maven intelligence platform for targeting analysis. The American system incorporates artificial intelligence technology from Anthropic known as Claude.

Officials say human personnel still review and approve all targets before strikes are carried out. However, current and former Defense Department officials told the Times that the large scale and speed of the campaign may be creating challenges. So far, the United States has struck more than 5,500 targets, while Israel has conducted about 6,000 strikes. The pace of operations may be making it difficult for analysts to ensure all intelligence remains accurate and up to date.

Officials emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing and that several questions remain unresolved, including why the targeting information was not verified before the strike occurred.