WASHINGTON — Details of a Pentagon investigation into a deadly February strike on a girls’ school in Iran may remain out of public view even after the review is completed, according to U.S. lawmakers and officials involved in oversight discussions.
Members of the U.S. Senate are seeking to compel the Defense Department to release reports related to several military operations, including the investigation into the strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, Iran, which occurred on Feb. 28 during the opening stages of the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. According to lawmakers, concerns have emerged that the findings could be classified or otherwise withheld from public disclosure.
The strike killed more than 165 people, many of them children, according to Iranian officials. U.S. military investigators have not publicly assigned responsibility, but Reuters previously reported that an initial internal investigation indicated U.S. forces were likely responsible. Pentagon officials subsequently elevated the inquiry to a higher-level administrative investigation and said the review would be conducted independently.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, told lawmakers in May that the investigation was approaching completion. He described the case as “complex” because the school was located on or near an active facility associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “Transparency is important,” Cooper told a congressional committee, while declining to discuss preliminary findings before the investigation is finalized.
Reuters reported earlier this year that officials involved in preparing targeting packages may have relied on outdated intelligence, potentially contributing to the strike. The Pentagon has not publicly confirmed those reports, and officials have repeatedly stated that the investigation remains ongoing.
President Donald Trump said on June 17 that “nobody” attacked the school intentionally and that he would await the results of the investigation. Trump initially suggested Iran may have been responsible for the incident but later said he would accept the findings of the military review.
Iranian authorities have condemned the strike and accused the United States of violating international humanitarian law. U.S. officials have said the military does not deliberately target civilians and have emphasized that no final conclusions have been publicly released.
As of Friday, the Pentagon had not announced a release date for the completed investigation. Senate lawmakers continue to press for the submission of unredacted findings to Congress, while Defense Department officials have not publicly stated whether the final report will be made available to the public. Details of any classification decisions remain unclear.
