Jerusalem, Sept 1: A new investigation has raised questions over the use of a US Precision Strike Missile in Iran after experts found evidence suggesting that its blast and metal fragments may have killed civilians far from the apparent detonation sites.
The analysis by conflict monitor Airwars, supported by interviews with weapons experts and former defence officials and verified by The Associated Press, examined three missile strikes in the southern Iranian city of Lamerd on February 28.
The investigation found that civilians were killed as far as 50 metres from the points where the missiles detonated, while damage extended substantially farther. Iranian officials said at least 21 civilians, including seven children, were killed.
The weapon identified by experts was the US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a long-range ballistic missile developed by Lockheed Martin and designed to replace the Army Tactical Missile System.
The PrSM is capable of travelling more than 499 km and is designed to explode in mid-air. According to weapons experts, its warhead can release tens of thousands of dense tungsten pellets at high speed over a wide area.
Airwars mapped the locations of the explosions, reported civilian deaths and visible damage using photographs, videos, satellite imagery and other open-source material.
The investigation found that one missile detonated above the Shahid Naimi Sports Hall, damaging a school about 170 metres away.
Iranian state media reported that seven civilians, mostly children, were killed in that strike.
Another blast in the Tal-e Khandagh neighbourhood killed a two-year-old girl, with Airwars estimating that a pellet travelled about 50 metres from the explosion site before striking her home.
However, the US military has denied striking Lamerd.
US Central Command said American forces did not launch PrSMs or other weapons into Lamerd on February 28 and maintained that US forces do not target civilians.
The command suggested that footage of one of the strikes indicated the weapon may have been an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.
Weapons experts who reviewed the footage disputed that assessment, saying the missile seen in the video did not match the Iranian weapon.
The Israeli military also said it did not conduct strikes as far south as Lamerd on the first day of the war.
Six weapons experts consulted by AP said they believed PrSMs were used in the Lamerd strikes and warned against deploying the weapon near densely populated areas.
The findings have renewed debate over the risks associated with high-powered precision weapons when used close to civilian neighbourhoods.
The Pentagon has subsequently signed a contract worth more than $4 billion with Lockheed Martin to increase PrSM production. Britain and Australia have also committed to acquiring the missile.
The Lamerd case remains disputed, with the US military denying responsibility, but the Airwars investigation has raised fresh questions about the weapon’s effects on civilians beyond the immediate blast zone.