MINAB — More than two dozen Democratic senators, led by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, called on the Trump administration on July 13, 2026, to publicly release findings from a U.S. military investigation into a February 28 airstrike on a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, that likely killed over 175 civilians and may have been carried out by U.S. forces. The lawmakers demanded an unclassified version of the report be submitted to Congress and the American public within one week.

An initial internal U.S. military investigation concluded that U.S. forces were likely responsible for the strike, which occurred on the opening day of the war with Iran. Iranian officials stated the attack killed more than 175 children and teachers and have characterized the incident as a U.S. war crime. The senators’ letter noted that if confirmed, this would be the U.S. military’s largest civilian casualty incident since 1991, when a mistaken bombing of a shelter in Iraq killed more than 400 civilians.

The lawmakers specifically asked Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to declassify key portions of the investigation and to provide a prevention and remediation plan identifying specific corrective actions the Department of Defense will take to ensure such an incident does not happen again. “There is no justification for withholding an unclassified accounting of what happened, what went wrong, and what the Department is doing to prevent recurrence,” the letter said. It added, “The United States military has a legal and moral obligation to take all feasible precautions to prevent civilian harm.”

The letter further stated, “When a US strike kills civilians, the Department owes Congress, the American people, and the victims’ families a clear accounting of what happened and a credible plan to prevent future failures.” Among the signatories was U.S. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The request comes amid growing scrutiny over the accuracy of intelligence used in military targeting decisions. Sources familiar with the matter said U.S. officials responsible for creating targeting packages appeared to have used out-of-date intelligence.

Archived copies of the Iranian school’s official website show the school is adjacent to a compound operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military force that reports to Iran’s supreme leader. In May, Admiral Brad Cooper testified that the investigation was “complex” because the school was located on an active Iranian cruise missile base. Despite this context, the U.S. government has maintained it never intentionally targets civilians.

A Pentagon official responded to the senators’ request by stating, “The investigation is ongoing. We do not have any updates to announce at this time.” This stance contrasts with comments made by President Donald Trump in late June. On June 24, Trump said, “Somebody said it was our missile, maybe it wasn’t our missile, but I have seen nothing to lead me to believe it was.” He added the same day, “I don’t think it was us.” These remarks appear to downplay U.S. responsibility, even as internal military assessments suggest otherwise.

Why It Matters

The February 28 strike and the subsequent military investigation represent a potentially historic case of civilian casualties involving U.S. forces, with implications for military accountability, international law, and congressional oversight. The senators’ demand for transparency reflects longstanding concerns about the use of outdated or flawed intelligence in conflict zones and the need for institutional safeguards to prevent similar tragedies.

The incident also highlights tensions between public statements by political leaders and findings emerging from military investigations. With U.S. forces engaged in active hostilities with Iran, the outcome of this case could influence both domestic policy debates and international perceptions of U.S. conduct in wartime.