AP reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter, that a preliminary US military investigation found outdated intelligence likely caused the strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school in Minab. The intended target was a nearby naval facility. The school was hit because targeting data did not reflect current ground conditions. Between 165 and 180 people were killed — mostly primary school girls, along with teachers and parents.
The finding aligns with three independent investigations published on Day 8, which used satellite imagery, crater analysis, and debris identification to reach the same conclusion: the strike was a US weapon aimed at a misidentified target. The military investigation adds institutional confirmation. This was not collateral damage from a nearby military hit. The targeting chain itself pointed at the wrong building.
Outdated intelligence in a targeting chain means one of several specific failures: the database was not updated before the strike package was approved, the update existed but was not propagated to the firing unit, or the approval process did not include verification against current imagery. Each failure sits at a different point in the kill chain and implies different accountability. The preliminary investigation reportedly identifies the proximate cause — stale data — without yet addressing which layer failed to catch it. In modern precision strike doctrine, every target passes through multiple review stages before release authority is granted. The question is not whether a map was old. The question is how many people looked at the old map and approved the strike anyway.
The investigation remains preliminary and classified. Defence Secretary Hegseth, whose "no stupid rules of engagement" language the 46 senators cited in their letter, has made no public statement on the findings. Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani has called the school strike evidence of deliberate targeting. The dead — 165 to 180 primary school girls, teachers, and parents — are beyond the reach of any finding. Whether the finding changes the conduct of the air campaign depends on decisions that have not been made and may never be made public.
