The Donald Trump administration dismantled key US military safeguards designed to reduce civilian casualties before launching its war against Iran, according to a new investigative report. The rollback is now under intense scrutiny after a February missile strike in the Iranian city of Minab reportedly hit a girls’ primary school near a military base, killing more than 165 people — most of them children under 12, according to Iranian officials. Washington says the incident is under investigation. Deadly strike triggers global alarm The attack is believed to have involved a Tomahawk cruise missile, a weapon widely used by the United States military. An internal Pentagon probe reportedly found outdated targeting data may have caused the strike to hit the school instead of its intended military objective. Asked about the report, Trump said he was unaware of it and suggested Iran or “somebody else” might have been responsible. Civilian protection plan quietly gutted According to reporting by ProPublica, the administration sharply scaled back the Pentagon’s Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response plan — a framework introduced in 2022 to reduce non-combatant deaths. Former officials say the programme has been cut by as much as 90 per cent under Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The strategy once required more detailed civilian mapping, enhanced targeting reviews and thorough investigations after strikes. A shift toward ‘maximum lethality’ Hegseth has openly championed a tougher doctrine centred on battlefield aggression. Speaking earlier this week, he criticised what he called “politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement” and pledged to “untie the hands” of US forces. “We intimidate, demoralise, hunt and kill the enemies of our country,” he said. Critics warn civilians will pay the price Human rights advocates say weakening oversight risks repeating some of the worst tragedies of modern warfare. Annie Shiel of the Center for Civilians in Conflict warned the dismantling of protection systems leaves civilians exposed. “The policies still exist,” she said, “but they no longer have the resources or support to work.” If the Minab strike is confirmed as a US attack, analysts say it could become the deadliest American strike on civilians in decades — and a defining moment in the expanding war. Trump ditched plans to avoid civilian deaths before Iran war: report
