The head of United States Central Command characterized today as “complex” the ongoing probe into the attack that killed over 150 girls at an Iranian school in Minab on February 28 because the building sat within an Iranian base.
“It is a complex investigation, as the school itself is situated on an active Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cruise missile base, making it far more complex than an average strike,” explained CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
In a tense exchange of words with Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, Admiral Cooper firmly emphasized that “the United States does not deliberately target civilians” during its military operations. “The Iranian people are not our enemy, and in this specific case, our adversary is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the admiral clarified to lawmakers.
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Smith noted during the hearing that in previous incidents, the United States military acted quickly to acknowledge its mistakes, even while formal investigations were still actively underway. “It is quite clear what happened there,” the congressman stated, regretting that 80 days have already passed since the bombing without the Pentagon assuming official responsibility.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk had already requested in March that the United States conclude its investigation into the attack that caused 155 deaths, 120 of whom were children. The tragic strike occurred within the framework of the military offensive launched on February 28 against Iran by the United States and Israel.
