Pentagon Probe Finds Faulty Intelligence, AI Reliance Behind Deadly Iran School Strike

A Pentagon investigation has found that faulty intelligence, outdated imagery and heavy reliance on artificial intelligence contributed to a US missile strike that hit an elementary school in Iran’s Minab in February, Bloomberg reported. The strike killed 123 children, according to the report.

The Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School took place on February 28, at the beginning of the US war with Iran. Pentagon investigators found that the compressed timeline for target selection, gaps in intelligence and insufficient civilian-protection resources contributed to the deadly attack.

What Led To The Minab School Strike?

According to Bloomberg, the Trump administration’s order for an extensive air campaign at the start of the conflict left military personnel with limited time to finalise targets. More than 1,000 targets were reportedly struck by the US during the first 24 hours of the war.

Officials involved in the investigation also pointed to outdated imagery and incomplete information about the site. The location had previously been part of a military compound but was later separated from it and operated openly as a school.

Pentagon Probe Examines AI Use

The investigation found that some US Central Command personnel relied heavily on artificial intelligence, including Palantir’s Maven Smart System, during the targeting process.

However, there is no indication that Palantir’s software itself was responsible for the strike. Bloomberg reported that Palantir has said it is not responsible for the underlying data or for identifying deficiencies in intelligence.

Following the incident, the company developed tools intended to re-examine intelligence for information that could disqualify a target and identify inconsistencies or inaccuracies that might have been missed during human review.

UN Panel Raises War-Crimes Concerns

The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has separately raised concerns over US strikes on Iranian civilian sites. UN human-rights officials have documented information concerning the February 28 bombing of a girls’ school in Minab, which they said killed at least 168 people, most of them women and girls.

The UN Human Rights Office said the fact-finding mission has also examined the wider impact of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and issued findings concerning civilian casualties and international humanitarian law.