UN Experts Find Reasonable Grounds of US War Crimes in Iran Strikes
United Nations human rights experts have stated there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes during two military strikes in Iran that resulted in the deaths of at least 177 civilians. The findings were detailed in a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which examined the impact of the conflict on civilian populations.
According to the report, the missile strikes occurred on February 28, the day the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran. The experts concluded that the attacks, which targeted a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd, constituted indiscriminate attacks that caused civilian deaths and severe damage to civilian infrastructure. The mission warned that Iranian civilians are currently caught between gross human rights violations committed by their own government and the deadly international conflict involving the United States and Israel.
The Strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School
The deadliest of the two investigated incidents took place in the southern town of Minab. Tomahawk missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School, killing at least 156 people, including 120 children, according to figures provided by local authorities. The UN fact-finding mission noted that while the school was located adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex that was also targeted that day, the school itself was clearly identifiable.
The experts stated that no information indicated the school was being used for military purposes. Based on survivors' accounts that the school was struck twice, the mission concluded that the educational facility was the intended point of impact, rather than the damage being the result of an errant strike or collateral damage from the attack on the neighboring IRGC complex. The experts cited the exclusive possession of Tomahawk missiles by the United States as a key factor in establishing reasonable grounds of U.S. responsibility, alongside media reports indicating a preliminary U.S. military inquiry had found American forces responsible.
The Lamerd Sports Complex Attack
The second strike investigated by the UN experts occurred on the same day in the town of Lamerd. Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) were used to disperse clouds of tungsten pellets over a sports complex and a surrounding residential area. The attack killed at least 21 civilians, including seven children, according to local authorities.
Similar to the school in Minab, the fact-finding mission found that the Lamerd sports complex was clearly identifiable and showed no signs of being utilized for military purposes. The experts concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe the United States carried out the strike, noting that the U.S. is the only party to the conflict that possesses PrSM weaponry. In both the Minab and Lamerd incidents, the experts determined there were reasonable grounds to believe the U.S. committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks causing civilian casualties and damage to civilian objects.
United States and Iranian Responses
The United States government has disputed the report's findings. A State Department official stated that the U.S. does not give credibility to the findings of the fact-finding mission, though they emphasized that the protection of civilians remains of the utmost importance to the United States. The U.S. military has previously denied conducting any strikes in Lamerd on February 28 and disputed reports identifying the weapon used there as a PrSM. Regarding the Minab school strike, the U.S. military has not yet released the findings of its investigation, though U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that the military would "never target civilian targets."
Iran has not yet commented on the specific findings of the report. However, the Iranian government has previously rejected allegations of systematic human rights violations. Iranian authorities have historically blamed the United States and Israel for fomenting domestic unrest and have attributed civilian deaths during protests to "terrorists" and "rioters."
Crimes Against Humanity in Protest Crackdowns
In addition to the foreign military strikes, the UN fact-finding mission's report documented severe domestic repression by Iranian authorities. The experts concluded that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a violent crackdown on mass anti-government protests that occurred in December 2025 and January 2026. The report described the crackdown as an unprecedented escalation compared to past actions, characterized by the widespread use of lethal force across all 31 provinces of the country.
According to the experts, security forces positioned themselves on rooftops and other elevated areas to fire assault rifles directly into crowds of protesters. Demonstrators also suffered severe injuries to their heads, chests, and eyes from metal shotgun pellets, which resulted in permanent blindness for some victims. The report also detailed how security forces targeted healthcare facilities, beating and arresting wounded demonstrators as well as healthcare workers, which deterred others from seeking life-saving medical care.
The UN mission reported that tens of thousands of people detained during the unrest faced torture, solitary confinement, and the denial of legal counsel. Furthermore, the Iranian government has since intensified its use of the death penalty, executing at least 29 men following expedited trials on charges related to the protests. While the exact death toll remains unverified, the experts stated there are strong grounds to believe it is significantly higher than the official government figure of 3,000. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reported confirming the deaths of more than 7,000 people, the vast majority of whom were protesters.
