Missile Strikes in Iran: New Findings Raise Questions

In a recent study, experts examined fresh video and photos of attacks in Lamerd, Iran. The evidence suggests that the bombs were U. S. Precision Strike Missiles, or PrSMs. Earlier reports had said they might be Iranian missiles instead. The U. S. army denied that it fired any missiles at Lamerd on February 28. It said the video showed a different type of missile that looked longer, like an Iranian cruise missile called Hoveyzeh. However, analysts found the angle of descent matched a direction that points to U. S. bases in Kuwait and other nearby areas. The strikes hit a sports hall, a school and two homes. They caused 21 deaths, including five children as young as two years old. Iranian officials confirmed the numbers. This is the second time U. S. forces have been linked to large civilian casualties on the first day of a conflict.A previous attack six hours earlier hit a school in Minab, 250 miles away. That strike killed 175 people and was initially blamed on Iran by President Trump. Later investigations proved it was a U. S. missile. The new analysis used updated video footage of explosions, photographs of the damage, and expert opinions from three U. S. government officials. The trajectory study shows the missile came from the northwest, a direction consistent with U. S. military locations. The buildings hit in Lamerd were all close to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps compound, but it is not clear if any of the compound’s structures were damaged. PrSMs are a new weapon. Before this war, they had not been used in real combat. Information about them comes from a similar missile called GMLRS-AW and from Lockheed Martin’s promotional videos. Those videos show the warhead breaking apart into many small pieces that spread quickly.