The school was located next to a walled compound associated with the IRGC that included several buildings linked to its naval brigade.
Additional satellite photos showed multiple buildings in the Guard compound struck by munitions, leaving craters and severe structural damage.
Key Points
- An explosion at Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School on February 28 killed over 165 people, mostly children.
- Satellite imagery and expert analysis suggest the blast was likely caused by a US airstrike targeting a nearby IRGC compound.
- Photos show the school reduced to rubble and multiple buildings in the IRGC compound struck, indicating precision air-to-surface strikes.
- Iran accused the US and Israel, while the UN and rights groups condemned the attack and warned it could violate international humanitarian law.
Satellite imagery and expert analysis suggest that a deadly explosion at a school in southern Iran last week was likely caused by a United States airstrike that also targeted a nearby compound linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to media reports.
The February 28 blast at Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the city of Minab killed more than 165 people, most of them children, making it the deadliest civilian incident reported since the ongoing conflict began, Iranian state media said.
Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press show the school building largely reduced to rubble, with damage patterns consistent with a precision airstrike, experts said.
The school was located next to a walled compound associated with the IRGC that included several buildings linked to its naval brigade.
Additional satellite photos showed multiple buildings in the Guard compound struck by munitions, leaving craters and severe structural damage.
Proximity to IRGC facility likely caused targeting of school
Analysts said the clustered pattern of destruction indicated targeted strikes using air-to-surface weapons.
The United States and Israel have both been accused by Iran of carrying out the attack, though neither country has accepted responsibility.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the incident was under investigation, adding that the US does not intentionally target civilian locations.
The strike has drawn sharp criticism from the United Nations and international human rights groups, which warned that attacks on schools would constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
Analysts say the proximity of the school to the Revolutionary Guard facility may have contributed to a possible targeting or intelligence failure during the operation.
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