March 12, New Delhi: Almost every U.S. Senate Democrat signed a letter sent to U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, requesting a swift investigation into the airstrikes on a girls' school in Iran that killed dozens of children.
U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for the attack on the school on February 28, as U.S. and Israeli forces launched attacks on Iran.
The letter was signed by every member of the Senate Democratic caucus except John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. A spokesperson for Fetterman said via email that the senator supports an investigation, stating that regardless of whether he has signed the letter, he fully supports a comprehensive investigation into the tragedy.
The Department of Defence has not yet responded to a request for comment on the letter. Hegseth has vowed to restore a "warrior ethos" to the U.S. military and has referred to rules of engagement, directives typically given to military forces during a conflict, as "stupid" in a recent press conference.
Iran's U.N. ambassador said on Tuesday that the U.S.-Israeli strikes had killed more than 1,300 civilians.
No Republicans signed the letter. Members of President Donald Trump's party, who hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, have almost unanimously backed his strategy on Iran, with only a handful expressing doubt about any aspect of the war.
