The double attack at the elementary school in Minab, Iran (28.02) left at least 168 dead, about 150 of whom were students aged 7–12.
This is the deadliest attack so far in the war and was described by UNESCO as a “serious violation” of International Humanitarian Law.
Immediately after the attack, D. Trump stated that Iran was responsible for the bombing of the school, though he provided no evidence for the claim, which was quickly circulated by his circle.
Investigations by The Guardian, BBC, and New York Times suggest that the US is behind the attack, while an official US report states that the military relied on “old data” for the strike.
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The school was located next to military installations and support bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
It had been part of IRGC support bases but was separated and operated as a school for the past nine years, as evidenced by colorful murals.
Satellite images show no indication of military use, but the location explains why it could have been targeted by the US or Israel.
Several videos of the bombed school, verified by The Guardian, circulated on Iranian social media immediately after the attack.
One video shows the ruins of the school and smoke rising behind a fence, on the side of the IRGC bases.
This video was the first indication that the bomb hitting the school was part of a series of attacks targeting the IRGC complex nearby.
On March 4, the first satellite images showing the extent of the destruction were released.
They depict the destroyed school complex and four other bombed buildings next to it, all part of the IRGC compound.
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On March 8, the Iranian state news agency Mehr published a video showing a missile hitting a “target” in Minab.
The investigative group Bellingcat verified both the authenticity of the video and the location, which was the IRGC compound next to the school.
Experts later identified the missile as a Tomahawk, a weapon that only the US possesses among the parties involved in the war.
Although the US did not officially admit to striking the school or the nearby IRGC bases, it announced that it carried out attacks in that area.
A map shared by the US military also shows the points of “Iranian attacks,” none of which occurred in the wider Minab area.
Shortly after the bombing, many social media users repeated D. Trump’s claim that Iran was responsible for the school bombing.
However, the photos accompanying the claim were taken in the northern province of Zanjan.
A key detail for verifying the photos was a sign for a dental office located in a building 1,600 km north of Minab.
