WASHINGTON – Top Pentagon officials have expressed their intention to hold off on releasing an internal report into the attack on a school in southern Iran until after the US midterm elections at the earliest, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Advisers to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have communicated these plans to some Pentagon personnel, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they are not authorised to speak publicly on private deliberations.
The move comes amid growing political pressure over the months-long investigation into the attack on the school in Minab, Iran and a series of civilian-casualty incidents that followed in recent months.
On the first day of the war, US air strikes on Shajarah Tayyebeh Elementary School killed more than 150 people, including at least 123 children. In terms of child casualties, it was the deadliest American military targeting error of the 21st century.
Pentagon investigators discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an over-reliance on artificial intelligence contributed to the attack, according to a Bloomberg News investigation. A report on the full US probe, which began in March, has not been released – though officials said it has been all-but-complete for several months.
No final decisions have been made on the precise timeline for disclosing any details from the Minab report.
In response to questions, a Pentagon official said the investigation is ongoing and that there were “no updates to announce at this time”.
The delayed report raises broader questions about government transparency, military accountability and the public’s access to information about civilian casualties during operations that are funded by American taxpayers.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat who serves on the Senate armed services panel, cited Bloomberg’s reporting on Oct 15 in a news release that called delays in the report on Minab “disgraceful”.
“We have waited months – release the report,” Gillibrand said. “Congress and the American people deserve full transparency and accountability around this attack, and I will not rest until we have it.”
US Central Command, which conducted the Minab attack, declined to comment on Gillibrand’s remarks.
“Transparency is important – obviously for those affected but for us as well – for the nature of our government, which is supposed to be open and transparent,” Mark Esper, who served as US Defence Secretary during the first Trump administration, said in an interview. “We should acknowledge our mistakes and fix it to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The House Armed Services Committee defense policy Bill for the fiscal year that began Oct 1 contains a provision that would require the Pentagon to submit to the panel the final report on the attack not later than 30 days after completion.
That measure was introduced by committee member Representative Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat.
The Senate’s draft Bill contains language that also would seek to compel the release of the report on Minab and other civilian-harm investigations. Congressional negotiators are working on a final measure.
Centcom is hosting a symposium this week at its headquarters in Tampa to discuss civilian-harm mitigation strategies with technical experts and some foreign allies in attendance.
Earlier in 2026, Admiral Brad Cooper, who heads Centcom, testified to Congress that the command is focusing on enhancing civilian harm mitigation – and the symposium reflects that objective, according to a Centcom spokesman.
“Centcom’s culture entails periodically convening experts to discuss procedures and best practices for minimising civilian harm,” Captain Tim Hawkins, the command’s public affairs director, said on Oct 14.
On Oct 8, more than 70 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Hegseth, pressing him to answer questions on civilian casualties in Iran, including at the Minab school.
“We are deeply alarmed by the continued pattern of civilian casualties resulting from US operations in the war in Iran, and the apparent lack of action and accountability from the Department,” the lawmakers wrote. BLOOMBERG