More than 165 people were killed when a U.S. missile struck an elementary school in Minab, Iran, on Feb. 28, 2026 — and now senators from both parties are using the federal budget to force the Pentagon to release its investigation into the incident.
The Senate's annual defense authorization bill contains provisions that would block much of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel funds until he submits unredacted civilian harm investigations to Congress, according to legislative text filed this week. The restrictions apply specifically to reports on several military operations that have drawn scrutiny over civilian casualties.
Background
The Feb. 28 strike occurred on the first day of the U.S.-war against Iran and targeted a campus adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base. Officials have preliminarily said the United States was responsible for the attack, which was blamed on outdated intelligence. The bombing killed more than 165 people at the school, many of them children, and quickly became a focal point of the conflict.
If confirmed, the faulty intelligence that led to the strike would place this incident among the highest civilian casualty events caused by American military operations in the last two decades, according to those familiar with preliminary findings from March. The Pentagon's investigation into the attack is believed to have been completed last month, but Congress has not yet received the unredacted report.
The Investigation
The Senate Armed Services Committee included language in the National Defense Authorization Act that would restrict Hegseth's travel funds until he submits civilian harm investigations "including all relevant supporting documents" for multiple incidents. Under the bill text, not more than 25 percent of the defense secretary's travel funds may be spent until those reports are delivered.
Senators are also seeking unedited video footage from U.S. strikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats near Venezuela as part of the same package. The Pentagon has conducted a monthslong campaign of strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least 211 people so far. In at least one instance, survivors were killed in follow-on strikes — a practice that experts have said conflicts with military law and rules of engagement.
Additionally, lawmakers are pressing for three other investigations into a series of strikes conducted in Yemen in April 2025 during operations against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Those include a port strike that left at least 70 dead and more than 170 wounded, and a Sanaa neighborhood strike that killed four people and wounded 16 others.
Key Takeaways
- The Feb. 28 missile strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killed more than 165 people, including many children
- Preliminary findings indicate outdated intelligence likely led to the U.S. carrying out the strike
- Senate provisions would restrict Hegseth's travel funds by 75 percent until unredacted civilian harm reports are submitted
- The Pentagon investigation into the school attack is believed complete but has not been released to Congress
- Senators also seeking unedited video from drug-trafficking boat strikes and three Yemen operations in April 2025
What's Next
The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced the NDAA measure last week, sending it to the full Senate for a vote. The bipartisan defense authorization bill — a sprawling 1,500-page document that sets military policy for the coming year — is one of the rare measures that almost always passes Congress with broad support.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that this year's annual defense package "forces the Secretary to be more accountable to Congress and will prevent many errors of the past from being repeated in the future." The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.