WASHINGTON — The Pentagon faces mounting pressure to explain how a US drone strike killed 47 Iranian schoolchildren in the coastal city of Minab last month, after an independent investigation suggested the attack may have deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure.

Human rights investigators from the International Crisis Group released findings Tuesday indicating that US forces possessed detailed intelligence about the school's civilian status before launching the precision strike on February 14. The report contradicts Pentagon claims that the facility housed Iranian Revolutionary Guard weapons caches.

"The evidence strongly suggests this was not a case of mistaken identity or faulty intelligence," said Dr. Sarah Mitchell, lead investigator for the Crisis Group's Iran monitoring team. "Satellite imagery shows children's playground equipment and school buses clearly visible in the days preceding the strike."

Congressional Democrats have demanded hearings into the incident, which occurred during heightened tensions following Iran's withdrawal from nuclear negotiations. Senator Elizabeth Warren called the findings "deeply disturbing" and questioned whether the strike violated international humanitarian law. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry has filed formal complaints with the International Criminal Court, seeking prosecutions for what Tehran labels "crimes against humanity." Legal experts note that ICC jurisdiction over US military personnel remains limited, though the court could theoretically investigate if referred by the UN Security Council.