Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference at the US Southern Command Headquarters in Doral, Florida, on March 5, 2026. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

On Wednesday, the New York Times published the preliminary findings of a US investigation into the recent airstrike on Shajarah Tayyebeh, an elementary school for girls in the Iranian city of Minab. The investigation confirmed what all public evidence had pointed to: that an American Tomahawk missile destroyed the school, killing roughly 175 people per Iranian estimates — most of whom were children.

Alongside the article, the Times posted a verified video from the school in the hours following the bombing. You can see, on the remains of the building’s outer wall, a light blue mural depicting a child playing with a butterfly.…