A Pentagon investigation has reportedly found that faulty intelligence, outdated satellite imagery and heavy reliance on artificial intelligence contributed to a deadly US missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, earlier this year.
The strike took place on February 28, during the opening phase of the US war with Iran. Two Tomahawk missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab. Reports citing officials involved in the internal investigation say the attack killed more than 150 people, including 123 children.
The investigation has raised concerns over how military targets were verified and how much responsibility was placed on AI-assisted systems during a rapidly developing military operation.
According to reports, the US administration had ordered a large-scale air campaign at the beginning of the conflict. More than 1,000 targets were reportedly struck during the first 24 hours, leaving limited time for detailed target verification. Officials also pointed to shortages in personnel involved in civilian protection and gaps in intelligence about the Minab site.
The school had previously been connected to a military compound, but the two sites had been physically separated years before the attack. Satellite imagery and other investigations indicate that the school had been operating as a civilian educational facility for several years. However, information reflecting those changes apparently did not reach the authoritative targeting database.
US Central Command personnel reportedly relied heavily on Palantir's Maven Smart System, an AI-assisted intelligence and targeting platform. Investigators reportedly found that personnel expected the system to identify inconsistencies or outdated information. However, AI systems can only process the information available to them and cannot independently correct inaccurate underlying intelligence.
Palantir has said that it is not responsible for the underlying data or for identifying intelligence deficiencies, and there is no evidence that its software itself caused the failed targeting decision.
The incident has also drawn international scrutiny. A UN-backed fact-finding mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the United States committed war crimes in two February strikes in Iran, including the Minab school attack and another strike in Lamerd. The findings are not a court judgment, but could contribute to future accountability efforts.
The Minab strike has therefore become a major case in the debate over AI-assisted warfare, intelligence verification and the need for meaningful human oversight when civilian lives are at risk.
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