A UN mission investigating Iran reported reasonable grounds to believe that U.S. military strikes on a school in Minab and a sports center in Lamerd, both occurring in February, were war crimes due to civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. The report, submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, alleges negligence by U.S. forces for failing to verify targets adequately before attacks. Over 150 people, including around 120 schoolchildren, died at the Minab school alone according to Iranian officials.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 17, a UN-backed independent fact-finding mission reported to the Human Rights Council in Geneva that there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes during two military strikes on Iran in February. One attack targeted a school in Minab and another hit a sports facility; these attacks allegedly resulted in at least 178 civilian deaths, including around 120 children according to Iranian officials. The mission also found that the Iranian government committed crimes against humanity during its crackdown on anti-government protests beginning in late December of the previous year.
The UN fact-finding team's report will be presented to the Human Rights Council and suggests both sides violated international law. While neither US, Israel, nor Iran are members of the council, the findings could be used in future efforts for accountability through international courts. Both US and Iranian officials have previously disputed claims regarding their actions during this period.
Written for “US War Crimes In Iran Strikes” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score -0.65 for article 16048 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-17
A United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran said on Thursday it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes.
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these → find → crimes
It also said that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests before the war.
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authorities → say → war
The findings in a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, examined the US’s conduct during the Iran war that began in February and the Iranian government’s response to nationwide unrest that began in late December.
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that → submit → December
The Iranian and US permanent missions in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
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missions → respond → comment
US officials have previously said military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict, while Iran has consistently rejected allegations of systematic rights violations.
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Iran → say → violations
Minab school strike
The UN experts said they found reasonable grounds to believe US forces were responsible for an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the city of Minab, where more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials.
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people → say → officials
The indiscriminate attack caused civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law, the mission concluded.
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mission → cause → law
According to the report, the US failure to update information in relation to the school, which was adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex, in its targeting databases and to confirm the building was a military objective amounted to more than mere negligence.
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building → accord → negligence
According to the report, the US 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.
“
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commander → accord → strike
Rather, the US 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.”
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this → direct → possibility
In June, US President Donald Trump said that “nobody” purposefully attacked a girls’ school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the incident.
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nobody → say → incident
Reuters first reported that an initial internal US military investigation showed US forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran.
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forces → report → Iran
The Pentagon has since elevated the probe, but it has not published any preliminary findings.
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it → elevate → findings
UN experts said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes.
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it → say → purposes
The experts reached a similar conclusion over a strike on a sports centre in Lamerd.
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experts → reach → Lamerd
The report said the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed and injured 22 civilians.
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attack → say → civilians
It concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime.
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strike → conclude → crime
US Central Command said in a statement in March that US forces did not launch any strikes into the city of Lamerd on that day.
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forces → say → day
The UN mission’s probe found that Iranian authorities carried out a widespread suppression of civilians during protests that erupted in late December last year.
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that → find → December
Tehran blamed “terrorists and rioters” backed by exiled opponents and foreign foes — the US and Israel.
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Tehran → blame → opponents
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, which say 3,038 people were killed and 25,000 people injured.
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people → say → figures
The government’s response to the protests — including violence, cutting off the internet and the use of the death penalty — marked a significant escalation from previous patterns of suppressing dissent, the report said.
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report → include → dissent
The Aporia
