Newly published video footage is raising fresh questions about a deadly strike in southern Iran that killed at least 175 people, including 168 children, after a missile struck near a primary school.
The footage, verified by The New York Times, appears to show a US Tomahawk cruise missile hitting a naval facility next to the Shajarah Tayyebeh primary school in the city of Minab on 28 February.
Video analysis and verification
The video, released on Sunday by Iran’s Mehr news agency and first reported by the investigative group Bellingcat, was independently verified by The New York Times through satellite imagery and additional footage from the area.
According to the investigation, the footage was filmed from a construction site opposite the naval base and shows a missile striking a building identified as a medical clinic within the facility operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Moments after the impact, smoke and debris can be seen rising from the structure while distant shouts from witnesses are heard. As the camera pans to the right, large clouds of dust and smoke are already visible in the area surrounding the nearby primary school, suggesting it had been struck shortly before the attack on the naval base.
Evidence collected by investigators
The Times reported that a broader set of evidence, including satellite images, social media posts and other verified videos, indicates that the Shajarah Tayyebeh primary school sustained severe damage during the same wave of attacks. A timeline compiled by the newspaper suggests the school was hit at approximately the same time as the strike on the naval facility. Further satellite analysis indicates that several other structures within the base were also struck with precision during the attack.
Investigators noted that determining the exact sequence of events has been complicated by the absence of visible weapon fragments and the inability of independent journalists to access the site.
Identification of the missile
The weapon seen in the footage was identified by The Times as a Tomahawk cruise missile, a long-range guided weapon used by the United States military.
Neither the Israeli nor Iranian armed forces are known to operate Tomahawk missiles. Dozens of Tomahawk missiles have reportedly been launched from US Navy warships against targets in Iran since 28 February, when the US-Israeli military campaign began. The US Central Command has previously released footage showing Tomahawk missiles being launched from naval vessels on the same day as the strikes in Minab.
According to the US Department of Defense, Tomahawk missiles are precision-guided weapons with a range of roughly 1,000 miles. They are programmed with a specific flight path before launch and can autonomously navigate to their targets. Each missile is approximately 6.1 metres long with a wingspan of about 2.6 metres and typically carries a warhead with an explosive yield equivalent to around 300 pounds of TNT.
Expert assessments
Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal technician working with Bellingcat, also identified the missile in the footage as a Tomahawk. The same conclusion was reached by weapons expert Chris Cobb-Smith, director of the security and logistics firm Chiron Resources.
US General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed during a press briefing that American forces were conducting strikes in southern Iran at the time the Minab attacks occurred. A map presented during the briefing indicated that areas near the Strait of Hormuz, including the wider Minab region, were targeted during the first 100 hours of the operation.
Trump denies US responsibility
When asked by a reporter from The New York Times whether the United States had bombed the school, US President Donald Trump denied responsibility. “No. In my opinion and based on what I have seen, Iran did that,” Trump said.
He added that Iranian munitions were “very inaccurate”. Standing beside the president, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was conducting an investigation but stated that “the only side targeting civilians is Iran”.