April 3, 2026
Secretary Pete Hegseth
US Department of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
RE: US use of air-dropped landmine systems in Iran
Dear Secretary Hegseth,
We write to request information regarding reported US military use of air-dropped landmine systems in Iran and to seek clarification of current US policy governing the use of such landmines.
Human Rights Watch is an independent nongovernmental organization that monitors and reports on international human rights and humanitarian law in about 100 countries. We shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for our work to ban and eliminate anti-personnel landmines.
Human Rights Watch has reviewed open-source reporting, including geolocated visual evidence and media accounts, which indicates that US forces may have deployed anti-vehicle mines from the GATOR Mine Scattering System in or near populated areas of Iran in March 2026. These reports include imagery of BLU-91/B anti-vehicle mines identified in locations proximate to civilian villages.
Because the GATOR system is designed to deliver both anti-vehicle and anti-personnel landmines over a wide area, the use of the weapon in or near populated areas raises serious concerns under international humanitarian law. The inclusion of anti-personnel mines in these systems is particularly troubling given the longstanding international effort to prohibit their use due to their inherently indiscriminate effects.
Considering these concerns, we respectfully request responses to the following questions:
- Has the United States used GATOR or other landmine systems in Iran since January 2026?
- If so, on what dates and in what locations were these systems deployed
- What specific types of munitions were used, including whether anti-personnel landmines were deployed alongside anti-vehicle mines?
- What steps were taken to ensure that these weapons were not used in populated areas or in ways that would pose a foreseeable risk to civilians?
- What precautions are taken to mitigate the risk posed by wide-area effects and potential munition failure?
- What assessments have been conducted regarding the possible civilian harm that could result from these strikes?
- What is the current US policy regarding the use of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines? Have there been any recent changes or updates to this policy or prior policies?
- What operational guidance within the US military doctrine governs the use of landmine systems by US forces?
- What criteria govern decisions to deploy landmine systems, including those that contain both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle components?
- How does the Department of Defense assess compliance of such systems with international humanitarian law, particularly in environments where civilians may be present?
- Did US forces provide any type of warning to the civilian population prior to or after the use of the GATOR landmine scattering system?
- If the US has used GATOR or other landmine systems in Iran since January, have any investigations been launched into their impact, including the reported deaths of civilians?
- Has the US government ever transferred the GATOR system or any of its component parts? If so, to what countries?
Thank you for your attention to these important matters. We would appreciate a response by April 17, 2026. We would welcome the opportunity to engage further on these issues.
Sincerely,
Sarah Yager
Washington Director
Human Rights Watch
