Sen. John Fetterman delivered a combative defense of U.S. military operations in Iran during a heated exchange Wednesday night with CNN host Kaitlan Collins — and at one point bluntly told her, “You don’t have to cut me off here.”
Fetterman appeared on The Source as fallout continued from a Feb. 28 Tomahawk missile strike that hit the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building in Minab, southeastern Iran. Iranian reports claim at least 175 people were killed, most of them children. A preliminary U.S. military investigation later found the strike resulted from faulty targeting intelligence based on outdated data provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The intended target was reportedly an adjacent Iranian base.
Nearly every Senate Democrat signed a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calling for a “swift investigation.” Fetterman was the only Democrat who did not.
Collins pressed him directly.
“Every Senate Democrat except you signed a letter today… asking for an investigation into that strike on a girls’ school in Iran,” she said. “Why did you not sign that letter, senator?”
Fetterman responded that he agreed the strike was a tragedy and supported accountability — but rejected broader Democratic criticism of the war.
“Well, because we all agree that it is a tragedy having that school hit, absolutely,” Fetterman said. “And we all agreed now for an investigation. What I don’t agree with the rest of my colleagues… is that it’s a war of choice or it’s dumb… I think it’s a good thing and I support that.”
He emphasized that the Pentagon had already acknowledged likely responsibility and said an apology would be appropriate if the findings are confirmed.
But Fetterman pivoted to what he described as disproportionate media outrage over the school strike compared to coverage of Iranian actions.
“And I would remind everybody listening right now, the United States never, ever targets civilians,” he said. “Iran does… and they massacred 35,000 of them just a couple of weeks ago.”
As Collins attempted to interject, Fetterman continued forcefully.
“The left media is much more angry… about this hospital. And it is a tragedy. But they didn’t seem to be as concerned about the Iranians massacring tens of thousands of their young people just a couple of weeks ago.”
Collins pushed back, noting that CNN had extensively covered protests and internal unrest in Iran.
“Well, I don’t watch, so I don’t know,” Fetterman replied, adding that he was referring more broadly to what he sees as a pattern in “other left media,” including outlets like The New York Times, which he accused of portraying the war effort as a disaster.
Collins then sought to clarify his position: “You do believe if the United States was responsible, that the Pentagon should acknowledge that they accidentally hit a girls’ school?”
“Yeah, I’ve said that,” Fetterman answered. “It seems that they’ve already acknowledged all those things. I think largely that letter was rendered moot at this point after what’s already come out.”
As Collins attempted to wrap the segment, thanking him for his time, Fetterman objected.
“Oh, now, you don’t have to cut me off here,” he said with a chuckle, prompting Collins to respond, “Go ahead, Senator, we’re not cutting you off.”
Fetterman clarified that he was not arguing against coverage of the strike itself.
“It is appropriate to cover it. You know, it’s a tragedy. Absolutely,” he said. “If you’re implying that I don’t think it’s wrong to cover it, that’s just not true.”
The exchange highlighted Fetterman’s increasingly independent posture within the Democratic caucus, particularly on foreign policy. While most Democratic senators have framed the Iran campaign as reckless or destabilizing, Fetterman has openly supported the military operation and rejected characterizations that it is out of control.
With the Pentagon’s investigation ongoing and debate over the war intensifying on Capitol Hill, the interview underscored how sharply divided Democrats remain over the U.S. military conflict with Iran.
