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Tragic Collateral Damage in Minab Highlights Risks of IRGC Proximity

US military investigates strike on school facility located adjacent to active Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps compound.

Foreign PolicyPublished July 23, 2026 at 4:49 AM
Collage image showing teacher Amaineh Nademi, wearing a black chador, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression. To her left is a close up shot of a pink chair next to rubble in a classroom which has blue walls. To her right is an image of a school desk, with rubble in the corner of the room

A tragic incident in Minab, Iran, has resulted in the deaths of 156 people, including 120 children, following a military strike on a site adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound.

The school, Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School, was located in close proximity to the IRGC facility, which satellite imagery confirms was targeted multiple times during the operation.

While the US government has not officially claimed responsibility, reports indicate that military investigators are examining whether outdated intelligence led to the school being misidentified as part of the military complex.

US officials have maintained that the investigation is complex, noting the school's location on what they describe as an active IRGC cruise missile base, a claim the Iranian foreign ministry has denied.

The incident has become a focal point for the Iranian regime, which is utilizing the tragedy to challenge the narrative surrounding the US-led military campaign.

Despite the horrific nature of the civilian loss, the fundamental reality remains that the IRGC has a long history of embedding military and security infrastructure within civilian areas, creating dangerous conditions that put non-combatants at risk.

The US Department of Defense continues to conduct a high-level investigation into the strike, emphasizing that American forces do not intentionally target civilian infrastructure.

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