Fragments of a damaged missile believed to be from the deadly strikes on a naval base and a girls elementary school in southern Iran on Feb. 28, which killed at least 175 people, 163 of them children, appear to carry markings consistent with an American cruise missile, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
Images of the debris were shared on Telegram by Iranian state TV, which described them as "remains of the American missile that struck the children of Minab school," referring to the coastal city where the strike took place. The fragments were shown on a table near the destroyed remains of the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab-an all girls school.
Earlier reporting by the Times suggested the building was largely demolished in a precision strike, reportedly killing at least 175 people, the vast majority of them children.
Although it remains unclear where the fragments were collected or whether they came directly from the school strike, the pieces had serial numbers and labeling consistent with the US Defense Department system for marking military munitions.
The evidence suggests the debris likely belongs to a Tomahawk cruise missile produced in 2014 or later.
Investigations by the New York Times and other media outlets and investigators have increasingly indicated that the school was hit during a wave of US strikes aimed at a nearby naval base.
On Sunday, Iran's semiofficial Mehr News Agency released a video that analysts from the Times and other outlets identified as showing a Tomahawk missile striking a medical building inside the base.
The Pentagon classifies the Tomahawk as a precision-guided weapon.
The Defense Department also published footage showing US Navy ships launching Tomahawk missiles toward Iran on Feb. 28, the first day of the US and Israeli attacks and the same day the school was struck.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has confirmed in public appearances that Navy-launched Tomahawks were used to hit targets along Iran's southern coastline during the opening hours of the conflict.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran itself had struck the school but offered no supporting evidence, repeating the claim again on Monday.
Taking questions from a reporter, he argued that Iran could possess Tomahawk missiles because other countries have purchased them from the US.
Iran has been under an embargo since 1979 imposed by the US and the EU, including sanctions on trade, oil, and the banking sector.
Iran does not possess Tomahawk missiles.
Any country that acquires them from the US must receive State Department approval before transferring them to another state, including Iran.
Trump also said he had been informed that the bombing of the girls school was under investigation and said he would accept whatever conclusions the investigation produced.
Outside the US, only Australia and the UK are known to operate Tomahawk missiles.
Japan agreed to purchase them in 2024, and the Netherlands followed in 2025.
Last October, Trump had suggested the possibility of sending Tomahawks to Ukraine but ultimately did not proceed with the plan.
Even if Iran somehow obtained a Tomahawk missile, experts note that it lacks the specialized equipment required to program the missile's flight path and upload targeting data to its onboard computer.
It would also need a compatible launch system capable of firing the missile safely.
Iran has developed two types of cruise missiles for striking land targets, but both designs are visually distinct from the Tomahawk, making them identifiable even from a distance.
Photos of the debris show a component labeled SDL ANTENNA, referring to a satellite data link antenna used in newer versions of the Tomahawk missile.
A contract identification number suggests that the part was supplied to the US military as part of a 2014 procurement.
The piece also carries the name Ball Aerospace Technologies, a Colorado-based defense manufacturer that was acquired by BAE Systems in 2024.
Another fragment bears the label made in USA and the name Globe Motors, an Ohio manufacturer that has received millions of dollars in US Defense Department contracts.
The company produces actuator motors that control the guidance fins used to steer Tomahawk missiles.
The debris photographed in Iran closely resembles fragments documented from Tomahawk missile strikes in other conflicts.
Similar Globe Motors components and circuit boards were previously recovered in Yemen and cataloged in the Open Source Munitions Portal, a database that tracks weapon remnants found in war zones. Comparable parts have also been identified in Syria.
Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal specialist who collaborates with the investigative group Bellingcat, also confirmed that the components appear to come from a Tomahawk missile.
He noted that similar fragments have been photographed at other strike sites in Iran since the beginning of the Israeli-US conflict, which has so far killed more than 1,200 people and injured over 10,000 others.
