Amnesty International's investigation found that a US-made Tomahawk missile likely struck a primary school in Minab on 28 February, killing at least 170 people, most of them children. Satellite imagery, video and expert testimony indicate the school and adjacent IRGC buildings were directly hit. Amnesty warns the incident may reflect intelligence failures or a failure to take feasible precautions and urges a full, transparent investigation into possible violations of international humanitarian law.
Amnesty Says US-Made Tomahawk Likely Struck Minab Primary School, Killing Dozens of Children
A coffin is carried during the funeral of mostly children killed in the attack on the school in Minab, Iran, on March 3, 2026 [Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News Agency via AP Photo]
Amnesty International has concluded that a US-manufactured Tomahawk missile likely struck a primary school in Minab, southern Iran, on 28 February, killing at least 170 people—most of them children—and has urged that those responsible be held to account.
The rights group said its investigators used satellite imagery, video evidence and expert interviews to determine that the school was directly hit and that a dozen nearby buildings inside an adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound were also struck.
Key Findings
Amnesty highlighted that Tomahawk missiles are used exclusively by US forces in this conflict and described them as precision-guided. The organisation said the pattern of damage and available evidence point to a failure by US forces to take feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm, a breach of international humanitarian law.
"Tomahawk missiles are used exclusively by US forces in this conflict and are precision-guided missiles," Amnesty said.
Possible Explanations and Legal Concerns
Amnesty outlined two troubling possibilities: either US forces did not identify the building as a school and struck it—indicating gross negligence and an intelligence failure—or they were aware the school was adjacent to the IRGC compound and proceeded without taking all feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm. In the latter case, Amnesty said the attack could amount to an indiscriminate strike and should be investigated as a potential war crime.
Reactions and Calls for Accountability
United Nations experts described the attack as "a grave assault on children," and US Democratic lawmakers have demanded clear answers from the administration. Washington has said it is investigating the incident, but Amnesty and rights advocates are calling for a full, transparent probe and for those responsible to be held accountable.
Amnesty's Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns, said that failing to recognise the building as a school before striking "would indicate gross negligence in the planning of the attack" and represent a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
Context
The strike has been cited by human rights advocates as part of broader concerns over potential war crimes in the ongoing US‑Israeli campaign against Iran. Experts have also expressed alarm at remarks from senior US officials downplaying constraints imposed by international law and rules of engagement.
Amnesty has urged that individuals who planned and executed the attack be identified and investigated by an independent and transparent process to ensure accountability and justice for the victims.
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