Pentagon Opens Probe Into Contested Strike On Iranian School

The Pentagon has opened a formal command investigation into the Feb. 28 strike on a school in Iran, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) designating an investigating officer to lead the review.

“The Pentagon said Friday it has opened a formal command investigation into the Feb”

Fox News

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the investigator is a general officer from outside CENTCOM and that "the command investigation will take as long as necessary to address all the matters surrounding this incident."

Fox News

CENTCOM has declined to confirm whether American forces launched the missile, saying only that "it would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation."

The strike—reported in some accounts as hitting the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab—has prompted sharply differing casualty claims and local accounts.

Iranian state sources have claimed between 168 and 180 fatalities, mostly girls aged 7 to 12, while local reporting cited by WPDE says the Feb. 28 strike "killed more than 160 people when the U.S and Israel launched attacks on the country."

WPDE

U.S.-based commentators cited by Fox noted there is "no confirmation on the number of people, from anyone other than regime sources," and one Iranian-American journalist said the school had been used by children of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy, raising questions about whether military assets were colocated with civilians.

Significant questions remain about responsibility, the intelligence used before the strike, and whether Iranian forces placed military assets near civilians.

“The Pentagon said Friday it has opened a formal command investigation into the Feb”

Fox News

Fox reporting and Pentagon remarks highlight scrutiny over possible U.S. involvement and how American planners assess civilian risk in densely populated areas; the strike "has drawn scrutiny as the investigation continues without answers," and officials said they will "investigate. We’ll get to the truth and we’ll share it when we have it."

WPDE also reports that "preliminary findings suggest the United States is responsible for the U.S. Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) that hit the school," citing U.S. officials speaking to The New York Times, an assertion that underscores contested narratives pending the CENTCOM review.

Observers note discrepancies between casualty claims and on-the-ground evidence, and both outlets underline the need for independent verification.

Fox cited satellite images of newly dug graves and reporting that "the number of graves are not in keeping with the number of people that they claim is dead," while also reporting that "there is no confirmation on the number of people, from anyone other than regime sources."

WPDE

WPDE’s coverage reiterates the scale of reported deaths and the gravity of the allegation, but the available reporting is contested and the CENTCOM command investigation has been framed as the mechanism to address outstanding questions.