Video footage that began to circulate online Sunday shows what appears to be a U.S. Tomahawk missile striking in the vicinity of an elementary school next to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex, according to eight munitions experts. The video, which was verified by The Washington Post, is the latest indication of likely U.S. involvement in the attack on Feb. 28 that killed dozens of children in the southern Iranian city of Minab.
Iranian authorities said at least 175 people were killed in the attack on Shajarah Tayyiba Primary School, widely believed to be the deadliest for civilians in the weeklong conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. The Post has not been able to verify the number of casualties.
The Tomahawk is a long-range cruise missile that can be launched from Navy ships or submarines. The U.S. military, which has used the Tomahawk in other strikes during the operation, is the only participant in the fighting that is known to possess the missile in its arsenal.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump told reporters the strike on the school "was done by Iran." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was speaking alongside Trump, said, "We're certainly investigating, but the only side that targets civilians is Iran."
A spokesperson for Central Command declined to comment on the video and whether it shows a Tomahawk missile fired by the United States.
The seven-second video was first published by Mehr, a semiofficial news agency in Iran. Until now, the only public footage of the deadly attack at the girls school has been of its aftermath.
The video of the missile and impending explosion captures one of what appears to have been multiple strikes on buildings on the IRGC compound next to the school, according to satellite imagery. Based on the camera angle of the video, the missile likely struck a building on the adjacent base, according to The Post's examination of satellite imagery following the attack.
At the start of the video, gray smoke can be seen streaming from the area where the school is located. The missile enters the frame from the left of the camera view. The video captures the sound of the projectile hurtling through the air before it lands and explodes. The exact point of impact is out of view, partially obstructed by trees. A thick black cloud erupts from the site of the strike, and screams are heard almost immediately.
The length of the straight and cylindrical munition with a beveled nose correlates with a Tomahawk, Wes Bryant, a former U.S. Air Force Special Operations targeting expert and former chief of civilian harm assessments at the Pentagon, told The Post in a message. Bryant, who has been critical of the Trump administration, also wrote that the explosion "correlates with the explosive weight of a Tomahawk."
The profile of the missile captured in the video, including its wings, "does seem to be a Tomahawk," according to a former Navy official who helped develop the Tomahawk program, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of retribution.
N.R. Jenzen-Jones, the director of Armament Research Services, said the apparent Tomahawk strike gives weight to the likelihood that the U.S. also hit the school. "Given the fact that combat operations appear to be clearly delineated between the U.S. and Israeli areas of responsibility, the appearance of Tomahawk suggests all the strikes in the area were conducted by the United States," he said.
The Post verified the video by comparing the landmarks in the video with those visible in Google Earth and Google Maps. The video was filmed south of the school, less than a quarter-mile away, according to The Post's analysis. The distinctive sign and gate of the Shaheed Absalan Specialist Clinic next to the school is visible in the video. A small tower located in the corner of the IRGC compound can also be seen in the footage.
The video did not appear to be manipulated or fabricated, according to two experts who reviewed the footage at The Post's request. Hany Farid, a digital forensics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, plotted out the path of the missile in the video and found the projectile had a straight trajectory, which would be tricky to fake as the camera moves between the frames. Siwei Lyu, a professor of computer science and engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo, said his analysis found no artifacts in the video that indicate it had been created using artificial intelligence.
Each Tomahawk missile is around 3,000 pounds, according to experts. They are preprogrammed with target locations and use sophisticated guidance systems to reach their destinations, incorporating data about the terrain they will fly above and using GPS to adjust flight paths if needed. The missiles are equipped with onboard cameras that send images of the target to military operators, giving them visibility after they are launched. The target and direction can be changed mid-flight.
Satellite imagery taken in the days after the strike and video verified by The Post shows damage to at least 11 sites across the area, consistent with multiple strikes.
Walls separate the primary school for girls from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Naval Forces compound which was targeted with multiple strikes, satellite imagery shows.
The compound has changed significantly since 2016 when the school was separated from military buildings; publicly available satellite imagery reviewed by The Post shows A separate entrance was built sometime between 2013 and 2016,the images show .Outdoor play areas are also visible .
Gen. Dan Caine ,chairman Joint Chiefs Staff ,said news conference last week that U.S.launching attacks Feb.28 using Tomahawks forces conducted strikes southern Iran .He showed map two targeting icons near Minab ,though map did name city .
Last week ,investigation New York Times linked United States strike school using Pentagon's statements well visual evidence precision hits multiple buildings IRGC complex .They concluded building likely hit same set strikes targeted naval base .Reuters also reported week U.S.military investigators believe forces likely responsible attack school .