A UN fact-finding mission concluded the U.S. likely committed war crimes in February by attacking a school and sports facility in Iran, while Iran was found to have perpetrated crimes against humanity during protests, according to a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, in a report released on September 17, stated that U.S. forces had reasonable grounds to be responsible for two strikes in February that targeted civilian infrastructure, including the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab and a sports center in Lamerd. These attacks, the mission alleged, constituted war crimes under international law due to their indiscriminate nature and the high civilian casualties they caused.
School Strike: A Civilian Target
The attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab killed more than 150 people, including around 120 children, according to Iranian officials. The UN experts described the strike as indiscriminate, noting that the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object with no evidence of military use. The report criticized the U.S. for failing to update targeting databases and confirm the building’s status as a military objective, calling the oversight more than mere negligence.
Rather, the U.S. directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen,
the report stated. According to the report, the U.S. relied on intelligence suggesting a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site but failed to adequately verify the information before launching the strike. The school was adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval complex, the report noted.
UN mission finds U.S. may have committed war crimes
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously claimed in June that “nobody” intentionally attacked a girls’ school in Iran, citing an internal military investigation that suggested U.S. forces were likely responsible. Reuters first reported that an initial internal U.S. military investigation showed U.S. forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but has not published any preliminary findings.
Sports Center Attack: Widespread Civilian Harm
The mission also found evidence that a U.S. strike on a sports center in Lamerd damaged nearby residential buildings and a school, killing and injuring 22 civilians. The report concluded this attack was “indiscriminate” and therefore a war crime. U.S. Central Command said in a statement in March that U.S. forces did not launch any strikes into the city of Lamerd on that day. However, the UN experts emphasized that the failure to verify the target’s status amounted to more than mere negligence.
Iran’s Crackdown: Crimes Against Humanity
The UN mission also investigated Iran’s response to nationwide protests that began in late December last year. It found that Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances. Rights groups reported that bystanders were among those killed during the crackdown, which the Iranian government blamed on terrorists and rioters
backed by exiled opponents and foreign foes the U.S. and Israel.
UN mission finds grounds to believe US committed war
The probe said it could not independently verify the death toll, but that it believed the number of dead and injured was likely far higher than official figures of 3,038 killed and 25,000 injured. The government’s use of the death penalty, internet shutdowns, and violent repression marked a significant escalation from previous patterns of suppressing dissent, the mission stated.
Responses and Unanswered Questions
The Iranian and U.S. missions in Geneva did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. officials reiterated that military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict, while Iran denied systematic rights violations. The Pentagon has escalated its investigation into the Minab strike but has not released preliminary findings.
The UN report, set for submission to the Human Rights Council, raises critical questions about accountability for both sides. While the U.S. faces allegations of war crimes, Iran’s actions during the protests highlight a pattern of severe human rights abuses. The lack of independent verification of casualty figures and the absence of immediate responses from both governments leave key questions unresolved.
Open this photo in gallery: Colourful tree and flower decorations remain on the walls of a rubble-strewn classroom at Shajareh Tayyebeh school, damaged in a U.S. air strike on Feb. 28, in Minab, southern Iran. Vahid Salemi/The Associated Press
Open this photo in gallery: A woman and child look at the portraits of children and teachers killed in the U.S. air strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab on Feb. 28. Vahid Salemi/The Associated Press