Booker & Colleagues Press Defense Department for Answers on Deadly School Bombing in Iran

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Cory Booker and 41 of his colleagues are demanding clear answers on why an airstrike in Iran hit a girls' elementary school, killing over 168 people, mostly school aged girls. In a letter to Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth, Booker and his colleagues called for a full investigation and transparency around U.S. military actions and key decision making that have caused civilians harm in Iran since the Trump Administration began its February 28 military operation.

"We write with grave concern regarding the airstrikes on a girls' elementary school that reportedly killed at least 168 people - mostly children - in Minab, Iran during the opening salvo of U.S. and Israeli operations on Iran on February 28. To be clear, the war against Iran is a war of choice without Congressional authorization. Nonetheless, as these military actions continue, the United States and Israel must abide by U.S. and international law, including the law of armed conflict. There must be a swift investigation into the strikes on this school and any other potential U.S. military actions causing civilian harm, and the findings must be released to the public as soon as possible, along with any measures to pursue accountability," wrote the senators.

The senators emphasized that the majority of those killed in the airstrike that hit the school were girls between the ages of seven and 12. They also noted reports that hospitals, cultural sites, and other civilian targets have been struck, and expressed concern that the Trump administration's rhetoric, military policies, and cuts to civilian protection resources have created conditions in which civilian casualties occur with limited oversight or accountability.

The senators are requesting a briefing from Secretary Hegseth on the February 28 strike on the school and all related civilian casualty incidents no later than April 10, 2026.

The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).

To read the full text of the letter, click here.