WANA (Jul 14) – At approximately 11:15 AM on February 28, 2026, during the opening hours of the U.S.-Israeli conflict, the Shajareh Tayebeh Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan Province, was struck by missiles.

 

More than four months have passed, and the Pentagon continues to shield itself behind the pretext of an “ongoing investigation,” while U.S. President Donald Trump evades responsibility. However, technical evidence and independent investigative reports leave no room for the justification of a “calculation error.”

 

1. Technical Facts: Why a Targeting Error Is Highly Improbable

The primary and most definitive piece of evidence is the recovery of wreckage from Tomahawk cruise missiles at the strike site—a weapon system operated exclusively by the United States military in this theater. The “targeting error” hypothesis is thoroughly debunked by three key facts:

 

Repeated Strikes: The school building was not hit just once; according to field reports, it was struck three consecutive times. This indicates that the target was deliberately locked and confirmed.

Satellite image analysis from the building of Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, 2016. Social media /WANA News Agency

Satellite image analysis from the building of Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, 2016. Social media /WANA News Agency

Complete Segregation: Satellite imagery dating back to 2016 reveals that the school was clearly partitioned from the adjacent military base, possessed an independent entrance, and held an undeniable civilian status demonstrated by the daily presence of children.

 

Deliberate Disregard of Warnings: CNN reported that U.S. field commanders had been explicitly warned prior to the operation that the Pentagon’s database was outdated and required urgent updates. These warnings were knowingly ignored.

 

2. The Failed “Human Shield” Narrative

Certain media outlets attempted to justify the tragedy by claiming that Iran utilized the children as human shields by locating the school near a military base. This claim is refuted by two straightforward facts:

 

  • The facility was repurposed into a school over ten years ago—long before the onset of the current conflict.

 

  • The students attending the school were the children of the base personnel themselves; no military forces place their own children on the front lines to serve as human shields.

3. The Pentagon’s Internal Admission

An investigative report by the Associated Press revealed that the U.S. military possessed far more internal knowledge of the incident than it publicly admitted. An informed intelligence official disclosed that an analyst had classified the building specifically as a “school” at least seven years prior. However, this critical assessment was never properly disseminated to operational command centers, leaving the path clear for the bombardment.

 

4. “Stupid Rules of Engagement”: Admission from the Top

Perhaps the most candid evidence of intent came from U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. In a press conference, just two days after the attack, Hegseth did not deny the strike. Instead, he openly dismissed international standards:

 

“We are executing the most lethal and precise airpower campaign in history, regardless of what so-called international bodies say. The stupid rules of engagement don’t matter. War is not polite. We play to win, and we don’t waste time or lives.”

 

Why the Pentagon Remains Silent

A comparison with the August 2021 U.S. drone strike in Kabul—which killed ten civilians and for which the Pentagon admitted full responsibility within a month—indicates that the current four-month delay is not due to a lack of information.

A view of Minab school damaged by a strike on February 28, in Minab, Iran, May 21, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Rather, it stems from the legal and ethical deadlock facing the perpetrators of an attack where every piece of evidence, from satellite data and Tomahawk wreckage to ignored intelligence warnings, points to deliberate intent.

 

The attack on Minab’s Shajareh Tayebeh School took place on the morning of February 28, 2026, during the first hours of military strikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.

 

Official figures state that 168 people were killed in the attack, including 120 students, 26 teachers, as well as several parents and school staff members. Dozens more were injured.