Study Shows U.S. Ignored Rules of Engagement in Iran Strikes
It appears that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has kept his promise to circumvent those pesky rules of engagement: the United States and Israel have allegedly attacked schools and hospitals in Iran – a serious war crime.
At least 22 schools and 17 health facilities have been damaged as a result of Donald Trump’s irresponsible five-week war in Iran, according to an analysis released Thursday by The New York Times.
Most of the damage was caused by strikes in highly populated areas, including in Tehran, the national capital, which is as densely populated as New York, according to the ministry. Times. In most cases, the target of the strike was unclear. It is also unclear which strikes were American or Israeli.
The media outlet acknowledged that this may only be a small part of the total damage. The Iranian Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian organization, reported that at least 763 schools and 316 health facilities had been damaged or destroyed as of April 2.
Attacking schools and hospitals is one of the six serious violations identified by the United Nations Security Council to protect children from armed conflict. Under international law, schools and hospitals are protected as civilian property.
Trump’s war began when the United States launched a missile strike on a girls’ primary school in Minab, which killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers. A preliminary investigation found that the use of outdated intelligence led to the school being labeled a military target. The same day, a missile strike torn an elementary school for boys, killing a child.
Two students were killed in another strike on a high school in Tehran, and six people, including four children, were killed in a strike on a gym where a women’s volleyball team was training at the time, according to Iranian state media.
Dr. Mohammad Hassan Bani Assad, president of Gandhi Hospital in northern Tehran, told Iranian state television that shelling near health facilities had forced medical staff to evacuate their patients. “We have newborns,” he said. “We had eight patients in intensive care, two of them in critical condition. Women in labor. Embryos in our fertility department.”
Hegseth has previously accused Iran of “moving rocket launchers into civilian neighborhoods near schools and hospitals in an attempt to impede our ability to strike.” But he provided no evidence for this claim and the Pentagon declined to comment on the claim.
At the same time, Hegseth openly bragged about circumventing “stupid rules of engagement” and dismantled the legal safeguards that would prevent the U.S. military from committing horrific war crimes.
