A UN-backed fact-finding mission said Wednesday it found “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two airstrikes in Iran, including on a primary school in the southern city of Minab. The same report also found Iran’s government committed crimes against humanity against its own people during the war.
The independent mission, created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 and chaired by Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain, said the findings center on two strikes carried out on February 28, the day the US-Israeli war against Iran began. “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 team said in a statement.
What Happened
The mission said US forces were responsible for a strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, which killed 157 people, including about 123 children, according to the UN’s own accounting; Iranian officials and other outlets have cited somewhat higher tolls at various points since the attack. Investigators said the school, though located near an Iranian naval base, showed no evidence of having been used for military purposes, and that its identity as a school building was unmistakable. The team said US forces used Tomahawk missiles in the strike. A separate airstrike the same day hit a sports center in the city of Lamerd, killing 22 civilians and injuring more than 100 others, according to local officials cited in the report.
The report is not legally binding, but the mission said its findings could eventually support efforts to pursue accountability in international courts.
Latest Developments
The Trump administration has not directly accepted responsibility for the Minab strike, and the Pentagon has not released the findings of its own investigation into the bombing. A person briefed on a preliminary US intelligence assessment told CBS News the United States was “likely” responsible for the strike but may not have intentionally targeted the school, suggesting outdated intelligence may have wrongly identified the area as still part of the nearby military installation. US officials have said in the past that military operations in Iran were conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
Key Facts
- The UN-backed mission found reasonable grounds the US committed war crimes in strikes on a school in Minab and a sports center in Lamerd on February 28.
- The Minab school strike killed 157 people, including about 123 children, according to the mission’s report.
- The Lamerd sports center strike killed 22 civilians and injured more than 100 others.
- The same report found Iranian security forces committed crimes against humanity against their own citizens during the war.
- The findings are not legally binding but could support future international accountability efforts.
Reactions
The mission did not limit its findings to US conduct. It concluded that killings by Iranian state security forces reached an extreme scale, and that civilians in Iran faced “gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by their own government” over the past two years, including live-ammunition fire into crowds, beatings of protesters, and the arrest of healthcare workers who treated the wounded. The team said detainees faced torture and were denied legal counsel, leaving families with no information about their whereabouts. Iran has consistently rejected allegations of systematic rights violations by its own forces.
Background
The Minab school attack has drawn sustained international scrutiny since it occurred. Amnesty International concluded earlier this year that a US-manufactured Tomahawk missile was likely used in the strike, and UN experts at the time called it “a grave assault on children.” US Democratic lawmakers have separately pressed the Trump administration for a full public accounting of how the strike happened. The broader war between the US, Israel and Iran, which began February 28, has continued intermittently for more than six months, including a renewed exchange of strikes in late August and early September.
Why It Matters
Findings of this kind from a UN-backed body carry significant weight in international law even without binding force, and could feed into future legal proceedings against individuals or states involved in the war. The report’s decision to document abuses by both the United States and Iran’s government, rather than focusing on one side, presents a more complete picture of the war’s human cost than either government’s own public statements have offered so far.
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether the Pentagon will release its own investigation into the Minab strike, or whether the Trump administration will formally respond to the mission’s findings. The report’s conclusions on Iran’s domestic human rights record are likely to add further pressure on Tehran, even as the government continues to reject allegations of systematic abuses.
Sources: UN News, NBC News, NPR, The Washington Post, CBS News, ABC News (Australia), Military.com (AP).
