War with Iran under the microscope: the US will not take prisoners. Pentagon broke the law?

A group of Democratic senators sent a letter to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Monday, demanding information about civilian casualties from the war with Iran and actions to reduce protections for civilians. Politicians have questioned whether U.S. forces are fighting the war in accordance with the law of armed conflict.

In a letter signed by 11 Democratic senators, they point to reports of over 1.7 thousand. civilian victims of the war, as well as attacks on over 20 schools and several hospitals. The senators said that all these cases were “avoidable tragedies.” They also recalled the Pentagon's decision to cutbacks in offices responsible for protecting civilians and Hegseth's own statements, including his promises that the US would not take prisoners.

It is a disturbing pattern that raises questions about whether the administration is complying with international law and the law of armed conflict (…) We also fear that your leadership further undermines the credibility of our armed forces, increasing threats to both civilians and American soldiers, the authors wrote.

“In the first week of the war, you said that it would be conducted without 'stupid rules of engagement'. You declared that 'there will be no mercy for our enemies' (…) These statements not only harm civilians and undermine established standards, but also expose American soldiers to a greater risk of reciprocity and undermine order and discipline,” Democratic politicians accused the minister.

Senators demand answers to several questions from Hegseth, including: about the actual number of civilian victims of the conflict and the number of those caused by US actions. They also want to know the background of the liquidation of the unit responsible for avoiding civilian casualties, including the critical opinions and warnings expressed by Pentagon officials in this matter.

The Pentagon has repeatedly stated that it is investigating cases of attacks on schools, including the girls' school in Minaba, on the first day of the war, which killed more than 170 people, mostly children. So far, no results of these investigations have been published.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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