In February 2026, on the inaugural day of the conflict, a primary school located in Minab, in southern Iran, was struck by two Tomahawk missiles. This devastating attack resulted in the loss of over 150 lives, with at least 123 of the victims being children. According to internal review documents obtained from the Pentagon, the AI targeting system, which was developed by Palantir, played a crucial and detrimental role in this tragic event. The subsequent investigation uncovered that the U.S. military had placed an undue amount of trust in this system. At the same time, vital intelligence was effectively siloed, failing to reach the decision-makers who could have potentially averted the disaster. Additionally, the team tasked with verifying targets had been significantly downsized. It was the convergence of these factors that ultimately led to this heart-wrenching tragedy.
