Pentagon gutted civilian watchdogs before Iran school strike
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly gutted offices that would have investigated the strike on an Iranian girls’ school
TL;DR
- US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reportedly reduced Pentagon civilian protection staff by 90%.
- The cuts diminished the capacity to investigate the fatal US strike on an Iranian girls' school.
- The strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab killed at least 168 schoolgirls and over a dozen staff.
- Evidence suggests a US Tomahawk missile hit near the school.
- Hegseth dismissed publicly available evidence as insufficient for determining events.
- US President Donald Trump offered shifting explanations for the strike.
- The incident has drawn international condemnation, with Russia and UNESCO denouncing the attack and the UN human rights office urging an investigation.