Video Suggests US Tomahawk Missile Hit IRGC Site Near School in Iran

According to newly released film reviewed by investigators, a US Tomahawk cruise missile struck a compound in southern Iran near a school where a catastrophic blast killed more than 165 people at the outset of the current Middle Eastern conflict.

The footage, released by Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency and reviewed by the investigative group Bellingcat, depicts a missile striking a structure within a property affiliated to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Minab, Hormozgan Province.

Satellite images and geolocation analysis place the footage near the Shajareh Tayyiba elementary school, where Iranian authorities believe at least 168 children and 14 teachers were killed. The clip shows smoke billowing from the school area before the missile hits the neighboring base. Experts think the weapon in the video resembles a Tomahawk land-attack missile, which is generally launched from US Navy ships or submarines.

Why This News Matters

New video evidence is making people very curious about what happened in the deadly strike near a school in southern Iran. If the weapon in the video is confirmed to be a Tomahawk cruise missile, it could mean that U.S. forces attacked a nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility. The explosion reportedly killed a lot of children and teachers, so the incident could lead to more scrutiny of the war and big debates about civilian deaths from a legal and humanitarian point of view.

Evidence Points Toward Possible U.S. Responsibility

According to weapons analysts and academics, the existence of a Tomahawk missile strongly confirms that the US carried out the strike. Trevor Ball of Bellingcat and other munitions experts recognized the weapon using its shape and flying characteristics. Analysts also pointed out that neither Iran nor Israel are known to use Tomahawk missiles.

U.S. Central Command has already admitted using Tomahawk missiles throughout the conflict, even releasing a photograph of the destroyer USS Spruance firing one on February 28 as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.

A US insider familiar with internal deliberations told investigators that the Minab strike was most likely carried out by American forces, but the official spoke anonymously because the topic is still sensitive. Experts studied satellite photographs and videos, which indicate many virtually simultaneous hits around the IRGC site, implying a coordinated attack on nearby military facilities.

School Located Next to Revolutionary Guard Facility

The school that was hit by the terrible blow was very next to an IRGC naval base, as well as a Revolutionary Guard barracks and clinic. Satellite photography suggests that the school and base were previously part of the same compound until a fence separated them several years ago.

Analysts believe the site was a targeted military target during the early stages of the conflict, given naval installations in southern Iran were among the areas the US openly acknowledged hitting. According to military experts, Tomahawk missiles are frequently utilized early in battles to target critical infrastructure before air superiority is established.

According to investigators, the missile seen on camera appears to have targeted a medical clinic or structure within the IRGC base, approximately 200 meters from the school. The smoke in the footage shows that the school was targeted by additional strikes just before the missile landing.

Conflicting Claims from Officials

The perpetrator's identity is still unknown. Iran has blamed both the US and Israel, although Israel has denied involvement and claims it did not conduct any strikes in the region.

US officials have not publicly claimed culpability, but a preliminary review indicated it was "likely" that the US military carried out the strike but did not purposefully target the school.

President Donald Trump has often suggested Iran was to blame, alleging Iranian weapons are inaccurate and could have caused the explosion. When challenged on the evidence pointing to a Tomahawk missile, Trump claimed that such weapons are utilized by multiple countries and that Iran may also have them, despite experts saying there is no evidence to back that claim.

Legal and Humanitarian Concerns

The strike has raised serious alarms among international law specialists and humanitarian groups. According to Janina Dill, an international law specialist at Oxford University, even if the school was hit by accident during an attack on a nearby military target, it could be a significant violation of international humanitarian law.

Military forces must take all reasonable precautions to verify targets and avoid civilian casualties. The U.S. government has changed its approach because of the current military actions.

The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said that the United States is now carrying out "the most lethal and precise air power campaign in history." He further noted that the military was operating without the constraints of "restrictive rules of engagement."

The inability to access the location, compounded by Iran's ongoing internet blackout, has complicated independent verification, leaving many specifics of the Minab strike shrouded in uncertainty.