Video Analysis Suggests US Missile Hit Base Near Iran School

Published: March 10, 2026
The English Chronicle Desk
The English Chronicle Online

A newly analysed video appears to show a United States cruise missile striking a military installation adjacent to a primary school in southern Iran, intensifying scrutiny over one of the deadliest incidents since the current conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran began.

The footage, released by Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency and examined by independent investigators and international media organisations, shows what experts say resembles a Tomahawk cruise missile striking a facility belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The strike took place in the coastal town of Minab on 28 February during the opening wave of US-Israeli attacks on Iranian military infrastructure.

According to Iranian authorities, the explosion occurred near the Shajareh Tayebeh primary school, where at least 168 people were killed, including roughly 110 children. The incident has since become one of the most controversial and tragic events of the conflict, prompting international calls for an independent investigation.

Investigative analysts who reviewed the footage say it shows a missile approaching the compound moments before it strikes a building believed to be a medical clinic within the IRGC naval base. The base sits roughly 200 metres from the school building, placing the educational facility within the immediate blast zone of the attack.

Video verification specialists from groups such as Bellingcat and several major news organisations examined the footage frame by frame and compared visible landmarks with satellite imagery taken after the strike. Dirt paths, terrain features and debris patterns visible in the video match images captured in the days following the attack, helping confirm the authenticity of the footage and the location where it was filmed.

Weapons analysts also examined the missile’s shape and flight characteristics. According to multiple experts cited by international media outlets, the munition closely resembles a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile — a long-range cruise missile primarily used by the US Navy and fired from warships or submarines.

Because Tomahawk missiles are not known to be operated by Israel or Iran in the current conflict, their presence in the footage has raised questions about US involvement in the strike. Analysts say the weapon’s distinctive cylindrical body and mid-mounted wings match the design features of the American missile system.

However, the video does not directly show the moment the school itself was hit. When the missile appears in the footage, smoke is already rising from the area where the school stands, suggesting that the building may have been struck earlier during the same sequence of attacks on the nearby military base.

Satellite imagery reviewed by investigators indicates that several structures within the IRGC compound were targeted during the strike. Analysts say multiple buildings inside the base were hit by precision munitions during the same operation.

The United States government has not officially confirmed responsibility for the school strike. American officials have stated that the Pentagon is examining the available evidence while maintaining that US forces target only military facilities during operations in the region.

US President Donald Trump previously suggested that the school damage may have been caused by Iranian weapons malfunctioning or misfiring. That claim has been challenged by investigators who argue that the available evidence increasingly points to strikes carried out during US military operations in the area.

Iranian authorities, meanwhile, have accused both the United States and Israel of responsibility for the incident and described it as a violation of international humanitarian law. International organisations have also expressed concern about the attack. UNESCO and several human rights groups have called for a transparent investigation into whether the strike violated laws protecting civilian infrastructure and educational facilities during armed conflict.

The school building, according to satellite imagery and historical records, had once been part of the broader military compound but had been separated from the base by walls for several years and clearly marked as an educational facility. Murals and playground areas visible in aerial images indicated its civilian use long before the strike occurred.

Despite the emerging evidence, investigators caution that determining exactly how the school was struck remains difficult. Access to the site is limited, and weapons fragments that could definitively identify the munition used have not been publicly recovered.

The incident has nevertheless become a focal point of the broader conflict, intensifying international debate about the risks of military operations conducted near populated areas. As new video and satellite evidence continues to surface, pressure is growing on all parties involved to clarify what happened during the strike and whether errors in targeting or intelligence contributed to the tragedy.

For now, the video analysis has added a significant new layer of evidence to an already complex and politically sensitive case. Whether it ultimately leads to a formal investigation or accountability measures may depend on how governments respond to the mounting questions surrounding the strike in Minab.

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