A US military investigation found a Tomahawk missile struck an Iranian elementary school due to a targeting error, The New York Times reported.
Preliminary findings show the US bore responsibility for the February 28 strike, while the probe continues examining planning failures and outdated intelligence.
CNN also reported the school in Minab was accidentally hit while US forces targeted an adjacent Iranian military base using old coordinates.
The school building had once been part of the base, though it was fenced off between 2013 and 2016, The Times said.
President Donald Trump initially suggested Iran might be responsible, despite the country lacking Tomahawk missiles, then deferred to the investigation’s final results.
Iranian media reported funerals for at least 165 victims, including children, though independent verification of casualties remains impossible due to restricted access.
Investigators are reviewing why the Defense Intelligence Agency’s outdated data was used and who failed to confirm the target before the strike.
The site is near Islamic Revolutionary Guard navy buildings, complicating targeting in a densely built area with intertwined civilian structures.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed both the United States and Israel, while Israel denied involvement and US officials insisted the school was never a target.
The strike highlights dangers of flawed intelligence and the fragile margin for error in crowded, sensitive military zones across the globe.