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Leading US Democratic senators have called for an investigation into the strike against a girls’ school in southern Iran, saying the Pentagon must “provide clear answers” over the attack that killed at least 170 people.
In a joint statement late Sunday, the six lawmakers said they were “horrified” by the Feb. 28 bombing of an elementary school in Minab at the start of the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran.
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The top Democratic senators on the National Security Committee said, “The killing of school children is horrific and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.”
The move comes after new footage of the attack suggested the school grounds were likely hit by a Tomahawk missile, a weapon used by the United States that Israel and Iran do not possess.
The bombing of an elementary school in Minab became emblematic of the increasing number of civilian deaths caused by the conflict.
Iranian officials said U.S. and Israeli airstrikes damaged other schools, as well as dozens of medical centers, residential buildings, street markets, desalination plants and other civilian targets.
Since the start of the war, U.S. and Israeli attacks have killed 1,255 people, most of them civilians, in Iran, Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian said.
“They either lived at home or were at work,” the health minister told Al Jazeera in a television interview.
Mr. Hegseth talks about rules of engagement
In a statement, U.S. senators pointed out that Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth has openly boasted about relaxing the rules of engagement for attacks on Iran, allowing the U.S. military to bomb the country with little restraint.
“Secretary Hegseth must ensure that the Department of Defense’s ongoing investigation into this attack, including the possibility that any policy decisions contributed to the catastrophe, is thorough and provides clear answers to the American people and Congress about how and why this tragedy occurred,” they said.
“The incident, and others like it, must be given a full and impartial review,” the lawmakers, including Brian Schatz, Jeanne Shaheen, Jack Reed and Elizabeth Warren, said in a statement.
Hegseth told reporters last week that U.S. military aircraft were carrying out the “most lethal” strikes against Iran with “maximum authority.”
On March 2, he said, “We will not have stupid rules of engagement, no muddy nation-building, no democracy-building exercises, no politically correct wars. We will fight to win, and we will not waste time or lives.”
Days later, Hegseth emphasized that the rules of engagement were intended to “unleash American power, not constrain it.”
US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of bombing the school, despite evidence and multiple visual inspections by multiple media outlets suggesting that the attack on Minab was carried out with US weapons.
“In my opinion, and based on what I’ve seen, it was done by Iran,” President Trump said last week.
Hegseth, however, stopped short of echoing the US president’s claims and has repeatedly stressed in recent days that the Pentagon is investigating the incident.
“America needs to stop focusing on denial.”
Annie Seale, US director of the Civilian Center on Conflict (CIVIC), said there have been numerous incidents in recent years in which the US has “reflexively” denied harm to civilians, “only to be proven otherwise by investigations by the media, civil society and the US military itself”.
In 2021, the Pentagon initially denied killing any civilians in an attack during the Afghan withdrawal, insisting the attack was a “just” attack targeting ISIL (ISIS).
But weeks later, after an independent investigation confirmed the identities of the victims, it admitted the attack was a “tragic mistake” that killed 10 people, including seven children.
Seal said the Trump administration is treating the “devastating” attack in Minab like a public relations issue.
“The United States needs to stop focusing on denial and get to the truth about what happened and why through a thorough, transparent, and independent investigation,” Ciel told Al Jazeera.
On Friday, UN experts condemned the attack on Minab as a “serious assault against children”.
“Attacks on functioning schools during school hours raise the gravest concerns under international law and must be urgently, independently and effectively investigated with accountability for the violations,” they said.
“There is no excuse for killing a female student in the classroom.”
