Officials Probe Possible AI Role in Strike on Iran Girls' School
Mar 9th 2026
US investigators are examining reports that an AI-supported system may have contributed to a missile strike on a girls' school in southern Iran; casualty claims and key technical details remain unverified as the probe continues.
- US military investigators are probing a missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school in Minab after media and anonymous sources linked the incident to an AI-supported targeting process.
- Iran's ambassador to the UN in Geneva said 150 students were killed, but that death toll has not been independently confirmed.
- Reuters reported US officials acknowledged possible US responsibility while saying there is no evidence the strike was intentional.
- An anonymous DOJ appointee and a DOD logistics programmer told This Week in Worcester the AI system may have used archived intelligence and that the department expanded use of a Claude-based system.
- The administration this week labeled Anthropic a supply chain risk and gave the military six months to remove Claude while moving forward with a contract with OpenAI, according to reports.
- Military and government spokespeople say the incident is under investigation and investigators are still determining how the strike was authorized and executed.