New evidence has emerged suggesting senior US military officials ignored warnings that intelligence used to identify targets in Iran was years out of date before a strike that killed scores of children at a primary school, as calls grow for Washington to release the findings of its investigation.
Three sources told CNN that repeated warnings to re-verify outdated intelligence were ignored for "expediency", despite alerts being embedded within the Pentagon's target-development platform.
The sources said the decision had directly contributed to the 28 February strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern Iranian city of Minab, which killed 168 children and 14 teachers, according to Iranian state media.
"The gravity of the crime committed against the children and families of Minab was immediately evident on the first day of this illegal war," Ryan Costello, Policy Director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), told The New Arab .
"This tragedy was entirely preventable, but a desire to make the war a TV drama with big explosions ensured that the US committed its largest mass killing of civilians in decades," Costello added.
Satellite imagery from 2013 showed that the school and the base of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were once part of the same compound.
However, images from three years later showed that a fence had been erected to separate the two, with an alternative entrance built for the school, meaning the compound was added to the database well over 10 years ago.
Analysts were unable to update all of the information before the strikes were launched.
The officials "knew within days (of the strike on the school) how the mistake happened," one of the sources told CNN . "It was obviously old info."
A source noted that a separate surveillance tool picked up the changes, but the findings never reached the database.
The deadly strike happened during the first day of the US and Israel's war on Iran and was condemned by Iran, UNESCO and several other international human rights organisations and activists as a violation of international law .
"More than 4 months on from the horrific attack by the US...we are still no closer to getting any answers," Nicole Widdersheim, Acting Washington Director at Human Rights Watch, told The New Arab .
"The US government must stop dragging its feet on this issue. The public is getting tired of the contradictory messages emanating from the leadership, the lack of transparency, and delays," she said.
“The Pentagon must deliver a thorough and transparent investigation which ensures justice for the victims and accountability for what was the deadliest attack on civilians by the US military in recent history. Anything less will be considered a whitewash," she added.
While Washington claims the attack was still under investigation , several reports indicate the US was likely responsible for the strike, with evidence pointing to a US Tomahawk missile being used.
"Instead of treating this mass killing with the somberness it deserves, we've seen a deflection of blame from President Trump himself, which calls into question whether political pressure will alter the findings of this important inquiry," Costello said. "The full report needs to be disclosed immediately, and appropriate accountability pursued."
The Pentagon referred The New Arab to US Central Command (CENTCOM) when asked to comment on CNN' s report. CENTCOM did not respond to TNA's request for comment at the time of publication.