A Tomahawk cruise missile fired by the United States military
aimed at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard core naval
base using targeting data that was over a decade out of date.
The school have been separated from the base years before the
war began. Nobody updated the target list.
165 children are dead. Trump had spent nearly two weeks
blaming Iran, claiming the Tomahawk was generic, suggesting
Tehran had its own supply. Military experts called it
false. Senate Minority Leader Chuck
Schumer called it something worse.
He said the president was lying through his teeth.
On Wednesday, The New York Times reported the preliminary
Pentagon investigation was complete, its conclusion?
the United States fired the missile.
When asked if he accepted responsibility, Trump said he
did not know about the report. That is where this war is on Day
13. Strikes continue, ships burn in
the Strait of Hormuz. The new supreme leader has not
been seen in public, and the president of the United States
is publicly disavowing the conclusions of his own
military's investigation into the deadliest single incident of
the war. This is Epic Fury. the US Iran
War podcast, daily coverage of the conflict reshaping the
world. Let's start with the school.
The Shajare Tebbe Primary School in Minup.
The two-story building painted with pink flowers and green
leaves. Girls aged 7 to 12.
A Saturday morning in class. Parents receiving panic phone
calls telling them to come immediately.
There is not enough time. The strike hit on February the
28th, the first day of Operation Epic Fury.
Iranian officials reported 180 dead.
Preliminary Pentagon findings put the figure at 165, most of
them children. It is the single deadliest
incident of this war. The investigation was triggered
by a question no one in Washington wanted to answer.
A video emerged almost immediately.
Iranian state media released it. Multiple independent analysts
reviewed it. Their verdict was unanimous.
The munition visible in the footage was a BGM One O 9
Tomahawk land attack missile, a weapon operated exclusively by
the United States among all combatants in this conflict.
Israel does not use it. Iran does not possess it.
It is not a generic weapon. It is not sold to random
countries. It is one of America's most
closely guarded precision strike systems.
CNN confirmed the preliminary findings on Wednesday.
The strike on the school occurred while the US military
was targeting an adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps Naval facility. Central Command had created the
target coordinates using intelligence provided by the
Defense Intelligence Agency. That intelligence was based on
satellite imagery from 2013, thirteen years out of date.
Imagery showing the school and the base is a single compound.
By 2016, a fence had been erected.
The school was separated from the base, a separate entrance
built, children enrolled, teachers hired.
The compound that once housed an IRGC facility became something
else entirely, a girls elementary school.
Nobody updated the target list. When the Tomahawk arrived, it
struck the boundary of the old compound.
The school bore the blast. 165 children and teachers died.
The Politico investigation added another layer.
Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth had gutted the Pentagon civilian
protection offices before the war began.
The Civilian Protection Center of Excellence have been
eliminated. The team responsible for
assessing civilian harm at Central Command have been cut
from 10 personnel to one, a 90% reduction.
Higgseth had publicly described civilian protection units as not
contributing to what he called lethality.
Retired Master Sergeant W Bryant spent 20 years in the US Air
Force, calling in air strikes and leading targeting cells.
He then worked in the Pentagon Civilian Protection Center till
the Trump administration downsized it.
He told PBS that the reduction in civilian protection capacity
directly contributed to exactly what happened to Minim.
He said you have a direct reduction in capability to
characterize a civilian environment, to properly
characterize a target and conduct a risk assessment on
civilians at that target or in the general area that filters
down to exactly how you end up executing operations.
The morning after The New York Times published its findings,
nearly every Senate Democrats sent a letter to Hegseth
demanding answers. They asked specifically whether
artificial intelligence targeting tools have been used
in selecting the min of coordinates.
They asked what civilian harm mitigation procedures were
followed. They asked who approved the
strike. Hegseth has not responded
publicly. Trump on Wednesday told
reporters he was unaware of the preliminary findings.
Republican Senator John Kennedy, the Trump ally, offered a
different response. He said the United States was
behind the strike. He called it a terrible,
terrible mistake. He said the investigation may
prove him wrong. He hoped it would.
Then he said the kids are still dead.
While the school investigation dominated headlines inside the
United States, Donald Trump was giving an interview to Axios.
He said there was practically nothing left to target in Iran.
He said the war was going great. He said the US military had done
more damage than thought possible, even inside the
original six week timetable. He said any time he wanted the
war to end, it would end. He called it little this and
that. The Axios interview came one day
after Hegseth had promised the most intense day of bombing in
the conflict's history. It came two days after Trump had
threatened to hit Iran 20 times harder.
It came two weeks after Trump had told the American people
this would be a short term operation.
Now Trump was suggesting it was almost over because there was
practically nothing left. Israeli Defense Minister Israel
Katz responded within hours. He said the operation will
continue without any time limit for as long as required until
all objectives were achieved. 2 Allied governments diametrically
opposite messages on the same day.
Iran's president Posseski and then outlined Tehran's
conditions for ending the war. He posted them publicly.
Iran required compensation for the US and Israeli assault.
Iran required firm international guarantees that it would not be
attacked again. Iran required recognition of its
legitimate rights. These were not negotiating
opening positions. These were listed as
prerequisites. Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle
East envoy, was asked on Tuesday by CNBC anchor how the war might
end. Witkoff said.
I don't know. The Trump administration has now
given the following different descriptions of when and how
this war ends. It is a short term excursion.
It will last four to five weeks. It is almost complete.
It is the most intense bombing in history.
Anytime Trump wants it to end, it will end.
And Trump's own envoy doesn't know.
Iran's new supreme leader has not appeared in public since his
appointment. The silence had been building
for days. Then, on Wednesday, it broke.
Yousef Posseshkian, a government advisor and son of President
Masood Posseshkian, posted on Telegram that he had asked
friends with connections to the new supreme leader about reports
of an injury. Those friends told him Mojtaba
Khamenei was, in his words, safe and sound.
That was not exactly a denial. Tehran's ambassador to Cyprus,
Ali Reza Solarian, went further. He told the Guardian that
Mojtaba Khamenei had been present at the compound when the
opening US Israeli strikes on February the 28th killed his
father. He had been injured in the same
bombardment. His injuries legs, hand and arm.
He believed the new supreme leader was still in hospital.
An Israeli intelligence assessment confirmed the same.
Mojtaba Khamenei was lightly wounded at the start of the war.
Iranian state television had already hinted at the injury.
It referred to Mojtaba as a wounded veteran of the Ramadan
war. It did not explain the phrase.
It did not specify the nature of the wound.
He is not spoken publicly. He has not appeared on camera.
He has not issued any formal statement as supreme leader.
The man now holding the highest office in Islamic Republic of
Iran assumed power while injured, hospitalized and
invisible. Defense Secretary Hegseth was
asked directly on Tuesday about the reports.
He declined to comment. Trump's previous statements
called Mojtaba's appointment unacceptable.
Then the White House shifted. A spokesperson said on Wednesday
that the administration respects the rights and choice of the
Iranian people to elect their supreme leader.
That is a notable change from he won't last long.
North Korea noted the moment state media reported that Kim
Jong Un and his teenage daughter observed tests of strategic
cruise missiles fire from a warship.
Analysts interpreted it as a show of force aimed at the
United States, a message that North Korea has already passed
the limits of what Washington can control.
The war at sea escalated sharply on Wednesday. 3 commercial
vessels were struck in or near the Strait of Hormuz.
By the end of the day, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Agency
had recorded 17 maritime incidents since the war began.
The total number of vessels attacked or damaged had passed a
dozen. The most dramatic incident
involved the Thai flag bulk carrier Miri Neri.
The ship had set off from Khalifa port in the United Arab
Emirates carrying 23 crew members.
It was struck while navigating waters near the Strait of
Hormuz, less than a dozen nautical miles from the coast of
Oman. The Thai Navy released
photographs. Black smoke billowing across the
water the hollow blaze. Omani authorities launched a
rescue operation. Most crew members were
recovered. 3 remain missing. The Japanese flag container ship
One Majesty, was struck while anchored in the Persian Gulf,
approximately 52 nautical miles from the Strait.
Damage was reported to the stern.
The Marshall Islands flag bulk carrier Star Gwyneth was hit by
an unknown projectile approximately 50 nautical miles
northwest of Dubai. Hull damage confirmed.
Crew reported safe. Iran's Revolutionary Guard naval
commander issued a statement on Wednesday that made the scope of
Tehran's ambitions clear. Any ship wishing to pass through
the Strait of Hormuz must obtain Iran's approval first.
Any vessel whose cargo belonged to the United States, Israel or
their partners was, in his words, a legitimate target.
An Iranian military spokesman added to that statement
directly. He said Iran would never allow
even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait for the
benefit of America, Israel or their partners.
Trump, leaving the White House, told reporters that U.S. oil
companies should take advantage of the Strait.
He said they should just use it. He pointed out that the United
States had destroyed just about all of Iran's mine laying
vessels. He said just about all of Iran's
Navy was at the bottom of the sea.
The Strait remained effectively closed.
Mirsk, the Danish shipping giant, halted operations at the
port of Salalah in Oman until further notice.
The Strait of Hormuz crisis had now spread to Omani ports that
were supposed to serve as bypass routes.
Iran had struck, fuel storage facilities at Duck Salalah had
been hit. The Joint War Committee of the
London Insurance market placed Omani waters on at high risk
area list. The alternative bypass route
around the southern tip of Africa now carry the entire
weight of the world's displaced Persian Gulf energy trade.
The International Energy Agency acted.
All 32 member states approved a coordinated emergency release of
400 million barrels of crude oil from strategic reserves.
It is the largest emergency release in the agency's history,
the 6th coordinated action since the IEA was founded in 1974.
IEA Executive Director Fadi by role announced each member state
would determine its own timeline for releasing barrels.
Japan was among the first to commit.
Prime Minister Sinai Takaichi confirmed Japan would begin
releasing oil from strategic reserves as early as Monday.
Germany and Austria followed with their own announcements.
The move had limited immediate effect.
Oil prices had climbed above $92 per barrel on Wednesday.
Despite the announcement, the market clearly did not believe
400 million barrels would compensate for the loss of 20%
of the world's daily seaborne oil supply flowing through a
straight that Iran now controlled.
The disruption is structural, not temporary.
Even if the IEA release stabilizes prices in the short
term, the infrastructure problem remains.
The Strait is closed. Bypass routes through Oman are
under attack. Ships are being struck at a rate
of roughly one per day. Insurance costs have made the
journey financially unviable for most carriers, even if they are
willing to accept the risk. Saudi Arabia's East West
pipeline has become unexpectedly critical.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the pipeline,
which runs from the Gulf to the Red Sea, has become one of the
most important pieces of energy infrastructure in the world.
It bypasses the Strait entirely, but it has a capacity ceiling.
It was never designed to carry the full weight of Saudi,
Kuwaiti, Qatari and Emirati export simultaneously.
Iran will not play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali made the announcement on Iranian
state television on Wednesday. He said given that this corrupt
government has assassinated our leader and created extreme
insecurity, we cannot participate.
The players have no safety. The conditions for participation
simply don't exist. The timing is significant.
The 2026 World Cup is Co hosted by the United States, Mexico and
Canada. All three of Iran's scheduled
group stage matches were to be held on American soil.
Iranian players traveling to the United States for a tournament
while America and Israel were bombing their country was
politically untenable. The sports minister made that
explicit. It was not immediately clear
whether Iran had formally submitted a withdrawal to FIFA.
The consequences of a formal withdrawal could include
sanctions against the Iranian Football Federation.
Separately, 2 more members of the Iranian women's football
team were granted humanitarian visas in Australia.
That brought the total to 17 members allowed to remain in the
country after asking for asylum. Following the outbreak of the
war, major international banks began closing their Gulf offices
on Wednesday. City and HSBC were among those
temporarily shutting down operations across the Gulf
region. The closures came directly in
response to Iran's declaration that banks and financial
institutions aligned with the United States and Israel were
now legitimate military targets. The declaration had come late on
Day 12th. The Revolutionary Guard had
announced it. It was not rhetorical In the
context of a war in which IRGC drone strikes had already
damaged AWS data centers in the United Arab Emirates, struck an
American diplomatic facility in Baghdad, and targeted energy
infrastructure across 6 Gulf states.
The threat to financial institutions was taken
seriously. The banking closures added to
the picture of a Gulf region quietly preparing for sustained
conflict. Embassy staff had been
relocated. Energy company headquarters had
implemented remote working protocols.
Now financial institutions were physically withdrawing from the
area. the United Nations Security Council voted on
Wednesday on a resolution brought by the Gulf Cooperation
Council. The resolution demanded that
Iran stop attacking its Arab neighbors.
Multiple Gulf states, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates have been struck repeatedly by
Iranian missiles and drones since the war began.
Gulf capitals had taken damage. Their bases had been hit.
Civilians had been killed. The GCC resolution was notable
for what it did not contain. It did not condemn the US and
Israeli strikes on Iran. It addressed only Iran's
retaliatory attacks on Gulf neighbors.
Russia and China had previously blocked any Security Council
action against the United States.
The vote reflected the increasingly difficult position
of Gulf states. They had allowed American forces
to operate from their territory. They were now being struck
because of it. They needed the United States to
end the war quickly. They could not publicly say so.
Saudi Aramco's warning from earlier in the week hung over
everything. Catastrophic consequences The
world's largest oil producer watching its entire export
infrastructure become collateral damage in a war it had partly
encouraged. A Reuters report published on
Wednesday revealed a figure the Pentagon had not previously
acknowledged. 150 United States troops have been wounded in the
1st 10 days of the war with Iran.
Two people familiar with the matter confirmed the figure.
Prior to the Reuters report, the Pentagon had publicly disclosed
8 US personnel seriously injured.
The true figure was nearly 20 times higher.
The Pentagon issued a statement after publication estimating the
number at approximately 140 wounded, characterizing the vast
majority as minor injuries. Minor injuries in a war zone can
include brain trauma, shrapnel wounds and burns.
A separate CBS News report added further detail.
An Iranian drone attack in Kuwait that killed US service
members in the opening hours of the war was more severe than
previously known. Dozens suffered injuries
including brain trauma, shrapnel trauma and burns.
More than 30 personnel were affected in that single attack
alone. The official casualty count
remained 8 confirmed American fatalities.
The hidden toll of 140 to 150 wounded told a different story
about what this war was costing the people fighting it.
There was one more political story on Wednesday that told a
revealing tale about the domestic politics of this war.
Podcaster Joe Rogan, one of Trump's most prominent
supporters during the 2024 election, told his audience that
some Trump supporters feel betrayed by the decision to
strike Iran. The White House responded
directly. Spokesperson Anna Kelly issued a
written statement to NBC News. She said the president was
courageously protecting the United States from the deadly
threat posed by the rogue Iranian regime.
She said it was as America First as it gets.
The fact that the White House felt it necessary to issue a
formal response to Joe Rogan about the Iran war is itself
significant. Trump's political coalition
contains a significant isolationist wing, people who
voted for him expecting restraint, not expansion.
People who had heard America first and understood it to mean
not fighting other countries wars.
The Iraq war lost the Republican Party votes for a decade.
The Iran war has now killed eight Americans and wounded 150
more. The White House knows the
political math, which is why they are answering Joe Rogan.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut attended A
classified briefing on the Iran war on Tuesday.
When he emerged, he posted on social media.
He said Trump was keeping the briefings classified because
Trump cannot defend this war in public.
He said officials in a briefing told lawmakers that destroying
Iran's nuclear program was not among the stated war goals.
He said regime change was also not listed as a stated goal.
He said the briefings were mostly focused on how the US
military was performing operationally, not on the
strategic purpose of the operation.
Murphy has attended multiple classified briefings.
He has consistently emerged saying the administration cannot
articulate what winning looks like.
He is called the plans incoherent.
He is called them incomplete. He now says the classification
of these briefings is itself a political choice, a choice to
prevent scrutiny of an operation the administration cannot defend
openly. Trump told Axios he had spoken
with Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday.
He said they talked about how much they were winning.
Netanyahu's defense minister, meanwhile, said the operation
had no time limit. It would continue for as long as
required until all objectives were achieved.
Trump also raised the Netanyahu pardon request.
In the same Axios interview, he criticized Israeli President
Isaac Herzog for saying he needed to follow legal procedure
before acting on a pardon. Trump called Herzog weak and
pathetic. He said he wanted Netanyahu
focused on the war, not on legal processes.
That conversation happened in an Axios interview about a conflict
that has now killed over 1800 people across the region.
Iranian and Lebanese officials reported more than 1200 killed
in Iran, 634 killed in Lebanon, 12 killed in Israel. 800,000
people registered as displaced in Lebanon alone. 17 ships
attacked in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began. 165
children dead in a school in Minup.
A new supreme leader nobody has seen in a hospital somewhere in
Tehran, injured on the first day of the war that killed his
father. Day 13 is underway.
The strikes continue, the Strait remains closed, and America is
still working out exactly who it killed, when and why.
This has been Epic Fury, the US Iran War podcast.
New episodes every day on Spotify, Apple Podcast and
YouTube.