More than four months after a US bombing in southern Iran hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school, killing 120 children and dozens of teachers and parents, uncertainty remains about how the attack unfolded and what evidence will be made public.
Investigators and commentators have pointed to material suggesting the Pentagon’s role in the strike. They cite reports that US Tomahawk missile fragments were found at the site, along with leaked commentary from military analysts and operational profiles of US forces reportedly involved in the region.
Sky News and Forensic Architecture review school history
The debate has been sharpened by a new analysis by Sky News and the research group Forensic Architecture, which reconstructed the school using a three-dimensional model.
The study concluded that the location had been used as a school for years prior to the attack, contradicting an argument advanced elsewhere that older intelligence was a key factor behind the strike.
Supporters of that position say the reconstruction reduces the likelihood that the target was misidentified based on outdated information. Opponents of the US assessment argue that the analysis strengthens calls for further transparency.
Trump tells Fox he may consult generals
US President Donald Trump, however, said he was not satisfied with the explanation and raised the possibility that the imagery at the centre of the controversy could be manipulated.
Speaking to Fox News anchor Trey Yingst, Trump did not say whether the results of the US investigation would be released. He said he still needed to “speak to the generals”.
Trump also suggested that a definitive account of what happened may be impossible, adding that there were images from the site that showed fragments appearing to be from US Tomahawk missiles. When asked whether the incident could have been caused by old intelligence or a mistake during a busy period of fighting, Trump agreed that such scenarios were possible.
He then said it was also possible that the images could be “AI generated”, while arguing that he did not believe there could be a conclusive report.
Amnesty calls for transparency, truth and reparations
Human rights groups have urged the US government to provide clearer information to families of the victims.
In a statement, Amnesty International national director of government relations and advocacy Amanda Klasing said the public and victims’ families must receive transparency and accountability, and that families were owed truth, justice and reparations.
Klasing said Trump had made contradictory statements and that the Pentagon had refused to provide information to Congress. She also criticised responses from lawmakers and the public, saying they were growing frustrated with the “rote” position adopted by Secretary Hegseth and others that the incident was still under investigation.
Amnesty’s statement asserted that the US military was responsible for killing more than 150 people in an attack using precision-guided Tomahawk missiles against a school filled with children.
While the competing accounts continue to evolve, the new reconstruction and Trump’s comments have added fresh pressure on the US to clarify what evidence led to the strike and what conclusions investigators have reached.
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24 July 2026
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