On March 27 a team of human rights researchers from several humanitarian organizations issued the most comprehensive report so far of civilian casualties in Iran. The report, Civilian Harm in Iran After One Month of War, documents that military strikes on at least 44 schools, 60 hospitals, 129 residential buildings, and other nonmilitary targets has resulted in at least 1,443 civilian deaths, including at least 217 children. The report cites, but does not independently confirm, Iranian government figures of damage to 16,000 homes and 543 strikes targeting “dual-use” infrastructure such as energy and transportation systems. The United Nations estimates that 3.2 million people are displaced in Iran. The report states that its figures are “verified minimums,” but expects the numbers to only rise as rubble is cleared and air strikes continue. There is no attempt by the report to distinguish between deaths from U.S. or Israeli strikes.
Over the last year Pentagon officials have focused on the “lethality” of strikes, while working for the “disestablishment” of congressionally mandated civilian protection programs such as the Pentagon’s “Civilian Protection Center of Excellence,” according to reports from the period in the Washington Post. On several occasions Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has publicly denounced what he describes as overly restrictive rules of engagement that have guided U.S. military campaigns in recent conflicts.
Critics also point out Israel’s apparent disregard for civilian lives as seen in Gaza. One of the co-authors of the report, Skylar Thompson, deputy director of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), stated, “Children are being killed at school. Men are dying at checkpoints as they try to move their families … Women are being killed while waiting in line for bread. Medics are being killed while responding to emergencies. These patterns of harm raise serious legal concerns regarding the conduct of hostilities and demand accountability.”
