Sky News investigation finds US responsible for Iran school bombing
A Sky News investigation has concluded that the US was responsible for a deadly school bombing in Iran that killed 120 children, attributing responsibility to the US.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Nearly five months after a missile strike on a primary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab, a growing body of evidence points to the United States being responsible for the attack that killed 156 people, including 120 children. The strike occurred on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran, and the US military has yet to release the findings of its internal investigation, despite media reports that a preliminary assessment suggests human error.
Independent experts and open-source investigators have concluded that the attack was a precision strike, not a stray missile. Analysis of post-strike imagery, satellite data, and forensic reconstruction shows that the school was hit by a Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon used only by the US in this conflict. The US Navy's USS Spruance was filmed firing Tomahawks towards Iran on the day of the attack, and a US carrier strike group was within range of Minab.
The school, Shajar-e-Tayyab, was part of a wider complex that included buildings associated with an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps missile brigade. However, witnesses and local officials insist that the military site had been inactive for years and that the school had its own separate entrance and yard, walled off from the complex since 2016. At least nine buildings in the complex were used by civilians, including a clinic and a cultural centre, and five of those were also hit in the same pattern of strikes.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly denied US responsibility, claiming he has seen no evidence that it was an American missile. A US military insider told Sky News that Trump's public denials undermine the official investigation and efforts to achieve transparency. The White House has confirmed that the investigation is in its review stage but has not released any findings, insisting that the US military never targets civilians or children.
Grieving mothers in Iran have appealed for justice, describing the horror of searching for their children's bodies in the rubble. The attack has left a deep scar on the national psyche, with the faces of the dead children displayed on billboards and memorials across the country. The Iranian authorities have used the tragedy to make their case to the world, but for the families, the pain remains raw and unanswered.
International law experts say the strike appears to violate international humanitarian law, which requires precautions to minimise civilian harm. The US has reduced its civilian harm assessment teams in recent years, and it is unclear whether any such assessment was done before the Minab strike. The families and the international community continue to demand accountability and transparency from the US government.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC NEWS | BBC One | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media reports suggested the US was likely responsible for the attack. | ||||
| The White House confirmed that the investigation results have not been released and stated that the US military never targets civilians or children. | · | |||
| An airstrike on a primary school in Minab, Iran, killed 156 people, including 120 children. | · | · | ||
| The bombing killed 120 children and 26 teachers. | · | · | ||
| Grieving Iranian mothers appealed for justice and answers about why their children were killed. | · | · | · | |
| Independent experts concluded the US was responsible for a school bombing, describing it as a precision attack using Tomahawk missiles. | · | · | · | |
| Independent investigations questioned whether the school was hit because of its proximity to an IRGC site. | · | · | · | |
| The school was previously part of a military complex but had been walled off since 2016. | · | · | · | |
| The strike is in clear violation of international humanitarian law. | · | · | · | |
| The US military internal investigation found human error as the cause of the bombing. | · | · | · | |
| Tomahawk missiles were used, and the United States was the only party to the conflict using those missiles. | · | · | · | |
| Trump's denials are undermining the official investigation into the school bombing. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on its own investigative findings, presenting exclusive access to a US military insider and forensic analysis. The tone was assertive, directly contradicting President Trump's denials and highlighting the precision of the strike. The channel emphasised the US military's internal investigation and the pattern of attacks on civilian buildings.
- “A US military insider has told Sky News Donald Trump's repeated denials that the US was responsible for the bombing of a primary school in Iran undermining the official investigation.”
- “We now know that the US military internal investigation has ended. It's in what they call the review stage ahead of completion. And the initial findings, well, a military source who's seen the report has told me, it's clear what happened, human error.”
- “seven independent experts have concluded that all the evidence points towards the United States being responsible for a deadly attack on an Iranian primary school”
ITV1 focused on the human tragedy, giving voice to grieving Iranian mothers and their plea for justice. The tone was emotional and empathetic, with less emphasis on technical forensic evidence. The channel highlighted the mothers' direct appeal to the world and the deep national scar left by the attack. It also noted the reduction in US civilian harm assessment teams.
- “My plea is that the cry for justice for these innocent children reaches the ears of the whole world, so that these crimes are never repeated again.”
- “I keep thinking, who did the children cry out for? Did they call for their father? Did they call for me? Did they call out for God? This is what haunts me every single night.”
- “I really can't stress enough just how deep a scar Minab has left on the national psyche in Iran.”
BBC News provided a balanced, factual report with rare on-the-ground access to the school site. The tone was sober and restrained, focusing on the physical evidence and the families' grief. The channel highlighted the Iranian authorities' use of the attack for propaganda, while also noting the restrictions on international media. It included expert legal analysis on the violation of international law.
- “The authorities were keen for us to come here because this attack has become a big part of Iran's case to the world.”
- “Independent investigations into the strike have questioned whether the school was hit because of its proximity to an IRGC site.”
- “This is five months almost and counting without accountability, without transparency. And this is something that the United States owes to the world.”
BBC ONE West carried a condensed version of the BBC News report, focusing on the school site visit and the human cost. The tone was similar to BBC News but with less detail on the legal and political aspects. It repeated the key facts about the death toll and the school's separation from the military complex.
- “The attack in Minab in the south of the country killed 156 people 220 of them children while historic satellite images show the school was previously part of a military complex But have been walled off since 2016 with its own entrances and yards”
- “Independent investigations into the strike have questioned whether the school was hit because of its proximity to an IRGC site The u.s. Is yet to release the findings of its inquiry”
This second BBC News segment (BBC News Now) repeated the same report from Nawal Al-Maghafi, with a brief update on Houthi attacks. The emphasis remained on the school site visit and the lack of US transparency. The tone was consistent with the earlier BBC News coverage.
- “Almost five months on, the United States has still not released the findings of its investigation into the tragedy, although media reports of a preliminary assessment suggest the US is likely to have been responsible.”
- “Independent investigations into the strike have questioned whether the school was hit because of its proximity to an IRGC site.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.