The school in Minab, Iran, that was purportedly hit erroneously by U.S. forces during the opening salvo of the war is on an “active IRGC cruise missile base,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said.The U.S. military is investigating whether it was responsible for a strike that occurred on Feb. 28, the first day of the war, that killed more than 150 people, a majority of whom were school children. In the aftermath of the strike, the military initiated an investigation led by an outside investigating officer, whose identity has not been shared publicly.Multiple Democrat lawmakers raised questions about the strike during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, where Cooper was among the witnesses.
Early on, ranking member Adam Smith (D-WA) said, “It’s really pretty clear what happened there, but 80 days on, we have not taken responsibility for that attack,” and he asked, “Can you at this moment acknowledge that that mistake was made?”
CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper appears before a House Committee on Armed Services business meeting on the U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in the Greater Middle East and Africa, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Washington. (Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP Photo)
