MANGLED missile fragments recovered from the site of a deadly strike on a naval base and elementary school in southern Iran bear the unmistakable markings of an American cruise missile, The New York Times reported, following an analysis of photos posted to Telegram by Iran’s state broadcaster.

The Feb 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab killed at least 175 people, most of them children.

These fragments contain serial numbers and labelling consistent with US Department of Defence munitions, and appear to belong to a Tomahawk cruise missile manufactured in 2014 or later.

Gen Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed in two public appearances that Navy-launched Tomahawks were used along Iran’s southern coast during the opening hours of the war.

Despite this mounting evidence, President Trump claimed on Saturday that the school was struck by Iran itself, repeating the assertion on Monday.

Asked by a New York Times reporter at a press conference, he suggested Iran possesses Tomahawks — a claim the paper directly refuted.

Iran has no Tomahawks. Only two countries — Australia and Britain — are currently known to hold the missiles, with Japan and the Netherlands having agreed to purchase them in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Even if Iran had somehow obtained the weapon, it lacks the technical capability to programme the missile’s flight path or operate a compatible launcher.

Trump said he was aware the Minab incident was under investigation and that he was “willing to live with” whatever the findings showed.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2026