Democratic senators from the US Congress made a formal call to the Department of Defense to immediately disclose the results of the Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack on a girls' school in Iran.
More than two dozen senators, led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and including the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed, conveyed their demands to the Pentagon in a letter. The letter called for the investigation to be completed, a briefing to be provided to Congress, and a plan to prevent similar mistakes from recurring.
The attack took place on February 28, the first day of the war between the US and Iran, targeting a girls' school in the city of Minab. Iranian officials announced that more than 175 children and teachers lost their lives in the attack. The senators' letter noted that this incident is the largest case of civilian casualties since the US military bombed a shelter in Iraq in 1991, killing over 400 civilians.
According to the US military's internal investigation, initial findings indicate that US forces were responsible for the attack. It is alleged that the officials who prepared the targeting packages used outdated intelligence.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said in testimony in May that the investigation was "complex" because the school was located on an active Iranian cruise missile base.
President Donald Trump, in a statement on June 24, expressed doubts, saying, "Somebody said it was our missile, maybe it wasn't our missile, but I haven't seen anything to make me believe it was ours. I don't think it was us."
In the letter, the senators demanded that Admiral Cooper and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth share a declassified version of the investigation findings with Congress and the American public, and also present a corrective action plan to prevent future mistakes. The letter stated, "The US military has a legal and moral obligation to take all possible measures to prevent civilian harm."
A Pentagon spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing and there is no update to announce at this time.
