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Sen. Brian Schatz condemns strike Iran says killed schoolchildren; analysis points to possible U.S. role
Summary
Hawaii U.S. Senator Brian Schatz condemned a Feb. 28 strike near Binab that Iranian state media says killed dozens of schoolchildren and cited independent analysis suggesting U.S. forces may have carried out the attack; the reports and casualty counts have not been independently confirmed in the transcript.
Hawaii U.S. Senator Brian Schatz condemned what Iranian state media reports as a Feb. 28 strike on a naval base adjacent to an elementary school near the town of Binab, saying the attack killed scores of children and noting independent analysis that points to possible U.S. involvement.
"We are horrified by the latest reports concerning the February 28th strike on an Iranian elementary school near the town of Binab, which resulted in the killing of at least 175 people, most of whom were school children," Schatz said in a joint statement with other lawmakers, as reported in the transcript.
The news report summarized video that it said appears to show an airstrike targeting an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base next to the school. Iranian state media is cited in the report as saying more than 160 girls were killed; elsewhere in the same report the casualty figure is described as "at least 175 people," most of them schoolchildren. The transcript also noted that independent analysts have concluded the strike may have been conducted by U.S. forces, a claim presented as unconfirmed in the report.
The statement by the senator framed the strike as a major civilian-casualty event: Schatz said that if the independent analysts’ assessment is correct, "it would make it one of the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of American military action in the Middle[East]," as quoted in the transcript.
The transcript does not include any on-the-record confirmation from U.S. officials or additional responses from Iranian authorities; it reports only the video, the state-media casualty claims, the independent analysis, and the lawmakers’ joint statement. At the time of the recorded report, the differing casualty figures and the question of who carried out the strike remained unverified in the material provided.
Further independent verification by news organizations or official statements from governments would be required to confirm the video's provenance, the responsible party for the strike, and the precise casualty toll.
