WASHINGTON

A newly developed US missile struck civilian sites in southern Iran on Feb. 28, targeting a sports hall and an adjacent elementary school near a military compound in the city of Lamerd, according to visual evidence examined by the New York Times and weapons experts.

Local officials cited in Iranian media reported that at least 21 people were killed in the strike.

An analysis of videos and photos from the scene suggests the weapon used was a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a short-range ballistic missile developed by the US Army.

The missile is designed to detonate above its target and disperse small tungsten pellets, causing fragmentation damage. Experts noted that the patterns of damage at the sports hall, school and nearby residential areas match the characteristics of the PrSM.

A US official told the New York Times that the missile used in the Lamerd strike was the PrSM.

Additional weapons experts interviewed by the newspaper also offered their analysis of the missile.

"While we knew PrSM was fired, this is the first look we’ve gotten at the business end of the system,” Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear nonproliferation expert at Middlebury College, said after reviewing videos and photos of the incident.

Frederic Gras, another munitions expert, backed Lewis.

"The pattern of fragmentation damages are impressive and match with the few technical information available on the PrSM," Gras was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command (CENTCOM), told the New York Times that US forces "do not indiscriminately target civilians, unlike the Iranian regime."