A Familiar Pattern of Denial The recent comments from Vice President JD Vance regarding the reported US attack on a wedding party in Iran's Kuhestak town have sparked outrage and raised questions about the US government's accountability for civilian harm.
His response, essentially downplaying the incident with a shrug of "sometimes things happen," is all too familiar to those who have followed the US military's record of denying or minimizing reports of attacks on civilians in various conflicts.
The US has consistently cast doubt on allegations of civilian casualties, from My Lai to Abu Ghraib. The pattern of denial and subsequent acknowledgment has become a well worn script for the US government.