What was the Minab school strike?: The Minab school strike was an airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, Iran, on 28 February 2026, the first day of the US-led air campaign. UNICEF confirmed 168 children were killed at the site, making it the deadliest single school strike since Yemen in 2015.Source: UNICEF
How many children were killed in the Minab school bombing?: UNICEF confirmed at least 168 children killed at Shajareh Tayyebeh school on 28 February 2026. The Iranian Health Ministry cited a figure of approximately 180. After 18 days, only 58 victims had been formally identified.Source: UNICEF / Iranian Health Ministry
Who bombed the school in Minab?: No government has formally claimed responsibility. Independent investigations by the New York Times, CNN, and Time identified a US Tomahawk cruise missile, likely fired using outdated targeting data, as the probable cause. The IDF stated it had no knowledge of any strike in the area.Source: New York Times / CNN / Time
Was the Minab school strike deliberate?: Unknown. Congressional investigators asked whether the Maven Smart System or other AI tools misidentified the school as a military target due to outdated intelligence. The Washington Post reported the US target list may have mistaken the school for a nearby military site.Source: US Congress / Washington Post
Did AI cause the Minab school bombing?: Not proven, but under congressional investigation. Over 120 Democratic representatives demanded Defence Secretary Hegseth disclose whether the Maven Smart System processed the target data. No official response confirmed or denied AI involvement.Source: US Congress

Background

Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school was a girls’ primary school serving pupils aged 7 to 12 in Minab, a town in Hormozgan Province in southern Iran. On the first day of the US-led air campaign against Iran, 28 February 2026, a strike obliterated the school during the school day. UNICEF confirmed 168 children killed at the site on Day 1, making it the deadliest single school strike since Yemen in 2015 .

Responsibility was disputed from the outset. Independent investigations by the New York Times, CNN, and Time identified a Tomahawk cruise missile using outdated targeting data as the likely cause, though no government issued a formal attribution . NPR satellite imagery showed the blast radius extended into adjacent residential blocks . A mass funeral for 165 coffins was held in Minab’s central square, broadcast on Iranian state television .

The strike triggered a congressional inquiry into whether the Maven Smart System or other AI tools misidentified the school as a military target, with over 120 Democratic representatives demanding answers from Pete Hegseth . After 18 days, only 58 of the 165 victims had been formally identified, exposing the absence of any independent forensic investigation .

Source Material

Minab — Wikipedia BBC Middle East — Iran conflict coverage New York Times — Middle East UNICEF Press Releases UNESCO Safe Schools Declaration BBC Middle East — Iran Coverage

How the World Sees Them

Iran

The Iranian government cited the strike as evidence of deliberate US targeting of civilian infrastructure. The Health Ministry reported approximately 180 children killed; no independent forensic investigation was permitted.

United States

US military refused to confirm or deny involvement, stating it was ‘looking into’ civilian harm reports. Congressional pressure intensified as independent media identified a Tomahawk missile at the site through geolocated debris analysis.

United Nations

UNESCO condemned the strike on the elementary school and called for accountability. UNICEF ranked it the worst child death toll in any single country over a comparable period since Yemen in 2015.

International Civil Society

Malala Yousafzai condemned the killings publicly. Over 250 US organisations petitioned Congress to halt war funding, citing Minab as the defining atrocity of the conflict.