Four months after a US Tomahawk cruise missile struck a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing at least 175 people—mostly children—critics fear the Pentagon will bury the investigation's findings. The attack, one of the deadliest US civilian bombings in decades, occurred on the first day of the war and has prompted secretive probes, but no official explanation has been provided.
President Donald Trump dismissed the incident as a mistake during a press conference at the G7 meeting in Évian-les-Bains, France, saying, 'Nobody did that on purpose.' He initially suggested Iran was responsible, then claimed Iran had access to US-made Tomahawk missiles—which it does not. A shaky ceasefire memorandum with Iran has been signed, but the investigation remains classified.
Witnesses described a 'double tap' strike: the first missile killed all girls in the school's female section, including seven-year-old Hanieh Ahmadi Tifakani. Her brother Sobhan, 10, survived the initial blast but died in the second explosion while searching for his sister. Their father, Mohammadreza Ahmadi Tifakani, identified both bodies at the morgue.
Former Pentagon officials express doubt that the US will take responsibility or release the full report. Under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon has reduced civilian oversight units, part of an 'anti-woke' agenda that prioritises 'warfighting' over accountability. One former senior official said, 'I’m very doubtful that the Hegseth Pentagon will follow through' on standard investigation procedures.
The Minab bombing echoes past US mass-casualty incidents, such as the 2017 Mosul airstrike (over 200 civilians killed), the 2015 Kunduz hospital strike (42 dead), and the 1991 Amiriyah shelter bombing (over 400 dead). Trump stated the investigation is ongoing, but Central Command provided no updates.
