Pentagon Report on Deadly Minab School Strike Delayed Until After US Midterm Elections

By Staff, Agencies

Senior US Department of War officials are planning to postpone the release of an internal investigation into a deadly strike on an Iranian primary school in Minab until after the upcoming US midterm elections, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

The investigation concerns the February 28 US strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, southern Iran, which martyred at least 123 children and several educators. The attack occurred during the opening hours of the US-“Israeli” military aggression against Iran.

According to sources familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg, the Department of War leadership has come under mounting pressure from within the government and from members of Congress over the investigation’s findings. The report is said to identify intelligence shortcomings, reductions in teams responsible for monitoring civilian protection, and excessive reliance on automated targeting systems.

Despite the completion of the review, senior officials have decided to delay its publication until November, a move that would push the findings beyond the midterm elections and potentially limit their political repercussions.

The reported decision comes amid growing demands from lawmakers and human rights organizations for transparency and accountability over the civilian deaths.

Several Democratic members of the House of Representatives and Senate leaders have called on War Secretary Pete Hegseth to release the findings publicly and explain what measures will be taken to hold those responsible accountable for the loss of civilian lives.

“Senior DoD leadership is intentionally sitting on the investigation’s report,” policy analysts and former State Department officials said in separate assessments, raising concerns that the findings could be heavily classified or withheld to reduce potential political damage.

The White House and Pentagon officials have previously refrained from explicitly accepting responsibility for the strike, maintaining that the investigation remained ongoing. However, satellite data, independent analyses and information leaked from within the military have pointed to a direct US strike as the cause of the disaster.

The reported postponement has intensified concerns over the handling of the investigation and whether its findings will be made available to the public. The timing of the disclosure is particularly significant given the scale of the civilian casualties and mounting calls for accountability over the attack on the Minab school.