US Used Untested Experimental Missile That Killed 21 Girls at Volleyball Practice
"It's basically a missile that like explodes above the ground and basically shoot out 180,000 tungsten pellets in all directions. 3 of these missiles exploded above exactly that, above residential areas, including a sports hall where a girls' volleyball team was having practice. 21 civilians died. The US denied any responsibility."
About this episode
Piers Morgan convened an investigative panel on Piers Morgan Uncensored to examine controversial US military strikes on Iranian civilian targets during the opening day of the recent Iran war, featuring New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Malaika Brown and Christiane Tribert, author Scott Horton, and former Air Force combat pilot Ryan Bodenheimer. The central focus was a US Tomahawk missile strike that destroyed an Iranian school adjacent to an IRGC facility, killing at least 156 people including 120 students. New York Times visual investigators presented video evidence definitively proving US responsibility despite 80 days of Pentagon delays in completing their investigation and congressional testimony from US Central Command suggesting the school was on an active missile base. Sky News reporting from the ground contradicted this claim entirely. The panel also revealed the US deployed three never-before-used-in-combat Precision Strike Missiles that exploded above residential areas including a girls' volleyball practice, killing 21 civilians, with the US initially denying responsibility. Discussion expanded to disputed casualty figures from January protests, with Times reporters confirming Iranian authorities admitted to over 3,000 deaths from security force crackdowns using live ammunition, far below widely circulated claims of 40,000 used to justify military intervention. Scott Horton argued the war constituted an unconstitutional Pearl Harbor-style sneak attack launched during active negotiations, while Bodenheimer defended rules of engagement protocols while acknowledging the fog of war. The panel explored the difficulty of verifying information in authoritarian settings, the use of civilians as shields by militant groups, and whether outdated targeting intelligence could explain the strikes. Morgan pressed on whether such incidents constitute potential war crimes under international humanitarian law if part of a pattern of recklessness.
Key takeaways
- New York Times presented video proof that a US Tomahawk missile struck an Iranian school killing at least 156 people including 120 students despite Pentagon denials.
- US deployed three untested Precision Strike Missiles that spray 180,000 tungsten pellets, killing 21 civilians at a girls' volleyball practice before denying responsibility.
- Sky News reporter on the ground contradicted Pentagon testimony that the school was on an active IRGC missile base, confirming it had been publicly separated years ago.
- New York Times confirmed Iranian security forces killed over 3,000 protesters in January crackdowns, not the widely cited 40,000 figure used to justify military action.
- Scott Horton characterized US strikes as unconstitutional Pearl Harbor-style sneak attack launched during active negotiations, comparing toll to Oklahoma City bombing.
- Times reporters detailed the challenges of verifying civilian casualties in authoritarian regimes despite misinformation and communications blackouts during conflict.
- Former Air Force pilot defended rules of engagement protocols but acknowledged the strikes appeared to be targeting errors based on outdated intelligence rather than deliberate.