US Strikes on Iranian School, Sports Complex Were War Crimes – UN Mission
Share
Post
Pin
Email
Share
A UN mission found reasonable grounds that US strikes on an Iranian school and sports facility constituted war crimes against civilians.
Key Takeaways
- UN investigators found reasonable grounds to believe US forces committed war crimes in two February 28 strikes in Iran that killed at least 178 civilians.
- The mission found the Minab primary school was a clearly identifiable civilian site and said the US acted recklessly after failing to adequately verify intelligence before striking it.
- The same report found Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their crackdown on anti-government protests, including unlawful killings, torture and arbitrary detention.
US Strikes Constituted War Crimes
A United Nations fact-finding mission said Thursday that it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes during two deadly strikes in Iran at the beginning of the US-Israeli war in February.
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran examined strikes against the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab and a sports facility and surrounding residential area in Lamerd on February 28.
The mission concluded that the attacks were indiscriminate and caused civilian deaths, injuries and damage to civilian objects, amounting to war crimes under international law. At least 178 civilians were killed across the two attacks, according to the UN-backed investigators.
“Following the United States and Israeli attacks on 28 February, the mission found reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects,” the fact-finding team said.
Minab School Was ‘Clearly Identifiable’ Civilian Site
The most devastating of the two attacks struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab.
More than 150 people were killed there, including approximately 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials cited by the UN investigators.
The mission found that the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and said it had found no evidence that the building was being used for military purposes.
According to the report, US forces were acting on intelligence indicating that a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site. Investigators concluded, however, that the US failed to adequately verify or update that intelligence before launching the attack.
The mission said the failure went beyond simple negligence, concluding that US forces attacked despite being aware of a substantial risk that they were striking a civilian building.
An initial internal US military investigation previously indicated that American forces were likely responsible for the Minab strike. The Pentagon subsequently expanded its investigation but has not publicly released preliminary findings.
Tungsten Pellets Struck Lamerd Residential Area
The mission reached a similar conclusion regarding a separate attack in Lamerd on February 28.
According to the UN-backed investigators, Precision Strike Missiles dispersed tungsten pellets over a clearly identifiable sports complex and surrounding residential area, killing 22 civilian men and women and damaging nearby residential buildings and a school.
The mission concluded that the attack was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime.
US Central Command has denied that US forces carried out strikes in Lamerd that day.
The fact-finding mission separately concluded that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their crackdown on protests that began in late 2025. It documented unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression.
The mission called for an end to violations and hostilities, reparations for victims and renewed diplomatic efforts toward a permanent settlement.
(PC, AA, UN News)
