Images show fragments of U.S.-made missile at bombed Iranian girls' school. We broke down the evidence

In March 2026, a collection of four photos circulated online purportedly showing the remnants of a U.S.-made missile at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school in Minab, Iran. At least 165 young girls were reportedly killed, according to the United Nations, when the school was hit amid a series of strikes targeting an adjacent Iranian armed forces complex on Feb. 28. 

U.S. President Donald Trump initially suggested the strike could have been caused by an Iranian misfire. Mounting evidence — including geolocated footage of a Tomahawk missile striking the area where the school is located — points to U.S. responsibility for the precision strike amid the United States and Israel's military campaign across Iran. On March 11, The New York Times reported that an ongoing military investigation found that the U.S. made a targeting mistake based on outdated data. The article cited anonymous sources, meaning it was not possible to independently verify the newspaper's findings.

The pictures purportedly showing the American missile remnants began spreading across multiple social media platforms on March 9. Numerous Snopes readers asked whether the missile remnants specifically included the wording, "Made in Dayton, OH."

One X post read (archived), "Made in USA," while another by the Tehran Times said (archived), "Photos show the remnants of an American missile that struck an elementary school in Minab, resulting in the tragic martyrdom of over 170 students."

The images appeared to show several charred fragments of a Tomahawk missile, identified by parts that have been recovered at other missile strike sites in Yemen and Syria since 2014, as explained below.

Some detractors claimed the remnants could have been "dragged" to the photos' location. While it was not possible to independently verify where the remnants were recovered, there is already verified footage of a Tomahawk missile striking the adjacent complex.

This article focuses on whether the images authentically show the debris of a U.S. missile outside the girls' school. It does not definitively prove that a U.S. missile struck the building, though it does add to the mounting evidence that the United States was responsible for the strike.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense said via email that the missile strike on the school "is currently under investigation" and that the DOD will provide more details "when they become available."

Evidence photos taken at girls' school are authentic

The four photographs first appeared on the Telegram channel for Iran's state-run media outlet, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on March 9, 2026 (archived). It's unclear who the photographer was.

The photos were captioned (DeepL translation verified via native speaker):

Image of the remains of an American missile that fell on the children of Minab School, causing the martyrdom of many students of the Shajarat Tayyeba School.

(IRIB Telegram Channel)

The background of the images authentically depicts the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school, which can be seen when compared to a publicly available photo on Getty Images.

(Getty Images and IRIB Telegram Channel)

An authentic picture of the same green desks visible in the photos in question is also publicly available on Getty Images.

Numerous other news media outlets, including the New York Times, also verified the images' authenticity. There were no signs the photos were digitally edited or generated using artificial intelligence software.

Evidence fragments are from U.S.-made Tomahawk missile

On March 8, reputable investigative outlet Bellingcat geolocated footage released by Mehr News, an Iranian government-sponsored news agency, of a missile striking near the girls' school using Planet Labs satellite imagery. Numerous other reputable news media outlets have also reported on the footage.

Bellingcat reported that it was a precision-guided Tomahawk, a U.S.-made missile that neither Israel nor Iran reportedly possesses given the strict export laws in place. 

Only a few countries, including Australia and Britain, have agreed to purchase Raytheon's Tomahawk missiles. Even if another country illegally acquired a Tomahawk missile, it would also require advanced equipment to launch and map the missile's flight path.

Bellingcat also noted that smoke was visibly rising from the vicinity of the girls' school before the missile hit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility, as seen in the clip.

The remnants had two addresses engraved on the missile, both located in the United States. One was in Dayton, Ohio, where Allient — the parent company of Globe Motors, whose name is also on the debris — is located. Public records indicate the U.S. Department of Defense has paid Globe Motors more than $23 million since 2007. The other address was the Colorado location for manufacturer Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. 

Bellingcat munitions researcher Trevor Ball, formerly an explosives disposal technician for the U.S. Army, matched the fragments pictured (archived) with publicly available images on the Open Source Munitions Portal that show other damaged missiles identified as Tomahawks dropped in Yemen. Features that matched included the missile's circuit board and two other components.

(Open Source Munitions Portal and IRIB Telegram Channel)

Images of munitions with the same Globe Motors label have circulated online since 2014 (archived), when U.S. strikes on Syria turned up similar fragments.

(Syria Conflict Monitor and IRIB Telegram Channel)

Some social media users incorrectly claimed the clip depicted an Iranian missile. The missiles developed by Iran have distinct visual differences, such as a low-mounted engine.

In sum ...

There is sufficient evidence proving that the four photos are authentic and that they show the remnants of a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school in Minab, Iran.

It was not possible to independently verify how the debris arrived at that location, though there is mounting evidence that the United States was responsible for the strike that reportedly killed at least 165 girls at the school.