Commanders ignored warnings before Minab school strike

Senior U.S. military commanders ignored explicit warnings that intelligence on potential targets in Iran was years out of date, approving a strike that killed scores of children and teachers at an elementary school in February, according to sources familiar with the decision-making process. The strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern city of Minab occurred on February 28, the opening day of a wider military operation.

Sources said warnings were embedded within the Pentagon’s targeting system, indicating that intelligence on certain sites was based on information that was several years old and required re-verification before being added to strike lists. Senior commanders overrode these alerts for expediency, rushing to compile target options at the start of the conflict. This decision directly contributed to the accidental bombing of the school, the sources stated.

The attack killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers, according to Iranian state media, making it one of the deadliest incidents of civilian casualties in recent U.S. military history. U.S. military officials reportedly understood the cause of the error within days, with one source stating...