UN Finds Reasonable Grounds to Believe U.S. Committed War Crimes in Iran Strikes

Minab School Strike Investigation and Casualties

According to the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, investigators examined a military strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the southern Iranian city of Minab. Iranian officials reported that the attack killed more than 150 people, including approximately 120 schoolchildren. The UN mission concluded that the event constituted an indiscriminate attack against civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law. The report states that the U.S. military relied on intelligence indicating a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site. Investigators found that forces failed to adequately verify or update that intelligence before launching the strike to confirm the building remained a valid military objective. 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 UN panel noted that the school was clearly identifiable as a civilian object and that investigators found no evidence it was actively used for military purposes.

Lamerd Sports Center Attack Findings

Investigators reached similar conclusions regarding a separate military strike on a sports center in Lamerd. According to the UN report, that attack damaged neighboring residential buildings and a school while killing and injuring 22 civilians. The mission determined that the Lamerd strike was likewise indiscriminate, meeting the criteria for a war crime. Central Command stated in March 2026 that American forces did not launch any military strikes into the city of Lamerd on the day in question. Meanwhile, permanent missions for both the United States and Iran in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment following the report’s release. U.S. officials have previously maintained that all military operations comply fully with the laws of armed conflict.

Broader Conflict Context and Iranian Crackdown

The UN mission’s comprehensive report also examined actions taken by Iranian authorities during nationwide anti-government protests that began in late December 2025. Investigators found that the Iranian government carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians during the subsequent security crackdown, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Human rights organizations report that bystanders were among the casualties in what marks the largest domestic crackdown since Shi’ite Muslim clerics assumed power following the 1979 revolution. The Iranian government consistently rejected allegations of systematic rights violations, attributing the unrest to terrorists and foreign-backed actors. The UN probe stated it could not independently verify the total death toll from the domestic crackdown.