A group of senators has called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to answer questions about his execution of military operations against Iran, saying several of his actions violated federal and international laws and weakened norms for protecting civilians.
The 11 senators, all from the Democratic caucus, sent a letter to Mr. Hegseth on Sunday evening. Led by Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the group demanded that Mr. Hegseth explain his actions by May 4.
The letter referred to four separate attacks that killed civilians, including a Tomahawk missile strike on an elementary school in Minab that killed 175 people and a Precision Strike Missile attack in Lamerd that killed 21. Both attacks occurred in February, at the beginning of the war.
The senators said they were “concerned that these were all preventable tragedies.”
“The high human toll of this war reflects the administration’s broader disregard for the strategic legal, and moral imperative to minimize civilian harm,” the senators added.
The senators took note of Mr. Hegseth’s declaration on March 13 that he would offer “no quarter” and “no mercy for our enemies,” which they said was an explicit violation of international law, as well as the Defense Department’s own “Law of War Manual.” A no-quarter order means U.S. forces would continue to attack an enemy who is wounded and no longer capable of fighting back.
Such orders also endanger U.S. service members, the senators said, as they “erode good order and discipline” and could invite Iranian forces to reciprocate in kind against American troops.
The lawmakers noted that Mr. Hegseth had gutted Pentagon offices created to reduce civilian harm, shortly after taking office as defense secretary.
Protecting civilians in combat, they said, “is essential for the U.S. military’s operational effectiveness and central to U.S. interests.”
Mr. Hegseth’s bellicose statements deriding legal concerns in war in order to celebrate and focus on killing harms the credibility of the armed forces, the senators said, and exacerbates “threats to civilians and U.S. service members alike.”
The Pentagon’s efforts to formalize processes for limiting civilian casualties in war, the senators noted, began during the first Trump administration. The secretary’s actions, they said, contradict “more than a decade of bipartisan consensus” to “systematically prevent and address civilian harm” in military operations.
“Thousands of innocent people are dead after the Trump administration gutted programs meant to prevent civilian harm,” Ms. Warren said in a statement. “Hegseth’s chaos and incompetence are a danger to both civilians and our troops. We need answers and accountability now.”
Mr. Hegseth’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
John Ismay is a reporter covering the Pentagon for The Times. He served as an explosive ordnance disposal officer in the U.S. Navy.
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