Washington: More than 40 US senators pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for answers on the bombing of a girls' school in Iran's Minab, which killed at least 168—mostly children aged 7-12—during the US-Israel opening strikes on February 28 in the Trump administration's war on Iran.
Led by Senators Chris Van Hollen, Tim Kaine, Elizabeth Warren, and Brian Schatz, with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer's support, the lawmakers wrote with "grave concern" over the airstrikes. They stressed the war is a "war of choice without Congressional authorisation " but demanded adherence to US and international law.
The group called for a swift probe into the school strike and other civilian harm, with public disclosure and accountability measures.
Hegseth acknowledged on March 4 that the Pentagon is reviewing the incident but offered no timeline. Media reports and satellite imagery indicate the school—used as such since 2016—sat apart from a nearby naval base targeted in the strikes. Neither the US nor Israel has claimed responsibility.
Senators highlighted wider civilian tolls: over 1,245 killed and 12,000 injured as of March 10 (per Human Rights Activists News Agency), including hits on hospitals, heritage sites, and Tehran infrastructure amid use of explosives in populated areas.
They also flagged reports of AI tools selecting targets, questioning if US forces struck the school, the intended aim, target analysis, civilian safeguards, AI involvement, and verification protocols.
The letter criticized Hegseth's rhetoric—like "no stupid rules of engagement " for Operation Epic Fury and promises of "death and destruction from the sky all day long "—as risking international humanitarian law violations and civilian safety.
(Inputs from IANS)