Democrats question the Pentagon about the Iran school strike and the role of AI
A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the communications with Congress.
“We should all feel very ashamed of the killing of 175 people, most of them young children, who had nothing to do with this terrible, reckless war,” said one of the lawyers who signed the letter, Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., in a statement. “If the United States is really responsible for this attack, then this Authority needs to take immediate responsibility, respond, and make amends to the survivors and loved ones of the victims. Instead, President Trump denies any involvement of the US in this strike and blames Iran without any evidence and before the investigation is completed.
Trump said, without evidence, that Iran could be responsible for the attack – a position that contradicts the initial results of the US military’s investigation.
Asked if the US had struck a school in Iran, Trump told reporters on Saturday: “No, in my opinion, and based on what I’ve seen, what Iran has done.”
Hegseth was with Trump when he spoke to reporters, and when asked if it was true that Iran struck the school, he said, “We’re certainly investigating,” adding that “one side targeting civilians is Iran.”
The law of armed conflict dictates that the US must distinguish between civilians and combatants and take all possible measures to protect civilians. But just days into the war, Hegseth said there would be no “stupid rules of engagement” for Operation Epic Fury, the US military’s operation in Iran.
The rules of engagement describe how soldiers can and should act in conflict in accordance with the law of armed conflict. They often define who and what can be targeted in a particular conflict.
In a video released Wednesday morning, the commander of the US Central Command admitted that the US is using AI in the war against Iran.
“Our warfighters use various advanced AI tools. These systems help us sift through large amounts of data in seconds so our leaders can cut through the noise and make smart decisions faster than the enemy can react,” said Adm. Brad Cooper in a video produced by CENTCOM and released on social media.
“Humans will always make the final decisions about what to shoot and what not to shoot and when to shoot, but advanced AI tools can turn processes that used to take hours and sometimes even days into seconds,” he said.
On Tuesday, Hegseth accused Iran of using civilian areas for military operations.
“They deliberately shoot missiles at schools and hospitals, deliberately targeting innocent people because they know that their soldiers are being systematically destroyed and eliminated,” said Hegseth in a Pentagon briefing. He did not provide evidence to support the claim.
On Sunday, CENTCOM issued a security warning to Iranians, saying the Iranian regime is using populated areas for military operations, including shooting down drones and ballistic missiles. CENTCOM urged citizens to stay indoors because as the regime moves devices such as explosives into civilian areas, those devices may constitute a legitimate war under international law.
“They are not our target,” the US official said of the civilians, adding that Iran’s security services continue to be targets of the US military. “We will do everything we can to minimize casualties, but we cannot guarantee it.”
