by Alaina Coats
March 11, 2026
A preliminary investigation conducted by the U.S. military suggests that the United States was at fault for bombing an elementary school in southern Iran during a missile strike on Feb.28.
Reports indicate that U.S. Tomahawk missiles were launched from a U.S. Navy cruise ship and struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School killing 175 people, most of them schoolgirls.
The school's campus was reportedly on what had once been an Iranian Navy base, a site that has been identified as a primary U.S. target.
Officials say the U.S. was unaware that the Navy base was no longer operating at that location. According to military reports, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) provided outdated data and maps of potential targets. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is responsible for verifying the accuracy of such information once it is received by the DIA, but the data in this case was reportedly not verified.
President Donald Trump initially told reporters that he believed Iran was responsible for the bombing.
"Based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran," Trump said aboard Air Force One on March 7.
However, Mark F. Cancian, senior advisor for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, questioned that claim.
"Iran doesn't have Tomahawk missiles," Cancian told PBS.
Tomahawk cruise missiles are only manufactored in the United States. They can be launched from ship submarines, or land-based platforms and can strike targets up to 1,000 miles away. In addition to the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Netherlands are among the few countries that possess the missiles.
Watch: President Trump holds press conference on the status of U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Over 1,300 Iranians have been killed in the U.S.-Israeli military strikes known as Operation Epic Fury, since the war began on Feb 28. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei who had led Iran since 1989 was also reportedly killed.
President Trump is calling the war "a military success" claiming U.S. forces have struck more than 5,000 Iranian targets.
"We've wiped every single force in Iran out," Trump told reporters.
He predicted that "the war will be over very soon."
"They have no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft equipment. It' s all been blown up." he said. "They have no radar, no telecommunications, and they have no leadership. It's all gone."
President Trump claims that the war began because Iran was building a nuclear weapons program and enriching uranium that could produce as many as 11 ballistic bombs capable of targeting several countries including the United States.
Iran has denied the president's claims that it was developing nuclear weapons and vowed revenge against the United States.
Recent threats have been made by Iran to attack California. Trump said that these threats are currently under investigation.
Preliminary Reports Conclude U.S. Responsible for Iranian Elementary School Bombing
