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Over four months after the deadly US bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Southern Iran, which killed 120 children and dozens of teachers and parents, questions still remain over how the horror unfolded.
All available evidence suggests that the US military was behind the bloodbath. Images that show fragments of US Tomahawk missiles on the site, leaked commentary from military analysts, and operational profiles of the military forces involved in the region make a pretty air-tight case that the Pentagon bears responsibility for the horrific attacks.
Adding to the mountain of evidence is a new in-depth analysis conducted by Sky News and the publication Forensic Architecture. Reconstructing the school as a 3D model, the team verified that the site had been a school for years prior to the attack, refuting the claim that old intel was they key factor behind the attack.
US president Donald Trump isn’t satisfied with that answer. Speaking to Fox News anchor Trey Yingst, Trump avoided saying whether he would release the findings of the investigation, saying he still has to “speak to the generals.”
“Y’know, I don’t think anybody’s ever going to be able to say what happened there,” Trump opined.
“There are images from this site that show fragments that appear to be from US Tomahawk missiles,” Yingst gently prompts. “Is it possible that old intelligence, or a mistake from a very active time in the war lead to this event?”
“It is,” Trump replied, “but it’s also possible that those images you have are AI generated. I know you’re waiting for a conclusive report but I don’t think there can be a conclusive report.”
The dodge is a perfect illustration of the deleterious effects of AI on civic society: not only can peddlers of disinformation use the technology to fabricate evidence, but dishonest power players can point to the existence of AI to discount actual documentation of misbehavior or crimes.
That Trump refuses to take responsibility for the consequences of his war on Iran is hardly shocking at this point, but the pressure is mounting.
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