'Targeting mistake': US strike hit Iranian school as coordinates were based on outdated data

President Donald Trump suggested earlier this week that Iran itself may have been responsible but later said he could "live with" whatever the investigation reveals.

• US Tomahawk missile mistakenly hits Iranian school
• Outdated data led to school being mistaken for military base
• Iran says over 150 killed; US investigation into error ongoing

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A US Tomahawk missile strike that hit an elementary school in southern Iran during military operations on February 28 was the result of a targeting mistake, according to a report by The New York Times citing US officials.

The newspaper reported on Wednesday that a preliminary investigation found the United States was responsible for the strike, which occurred while US forces were conducting attacks on an adjacent Iranian military base.

According to The New York Times, the target coordinates for the strike were generated using outdated intelligence data, which led to the missile hitting a school building that was no longer part of the military facility.

The US military had been targeting an Iranian base located next to the school. The New York Times, citing US officials, reported that the school building had previously been part of that base but had later been separated from it.

The building housing the school was fenced off from the base sometime between 2013 and 2016, the report said.

The newspaper reported that officers from US Central Command (CENTCOM) created the strike coordinates using outdated information supplied by the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Investigators are examining why the outdated data was used during the strike planning process and who was responsible for verifying the intelligence before the attack was executed, according to The New York Times.

Iranian authorities have said the strike hit an elementary school in the southern city of Minab, killing more than 150 people.

AFP reported it has not been able to independently verify the location of the strike or the casualty figures reported by Iranian media.

US President Donald Trump had earlier suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible for the strike.

He later said he could “live with” whatever conclusion the investigation reaches.

When asked by reporters about the New York Times report on Wednesday, Trump said: “I don’t know about it.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has blamed both the United States and Israel for the strike.

Israel has consistently denied involvement in the incident or knowledge of the attack.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier that the United States would not intentionally target a school.

The February 28 strike took place during a broader US military campaign against Iranian targets.

In a speech announcing the first strikes on Iran that day, Trump outlined several military objectives, including destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, dismantling its naval capacity, preventing Iranian proxy groups from destabilising the region, and ensuring Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

US and Israeli forces have since carried out a series of strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, including missile facilities and naval assets, as the conflict has expanded across the region.