A UN fact-finding mission reports that the United States likely committed war crimes during air strikes on Iran in February, resulting in at least 178 civilian deaths, including many women and children. The attacks included a strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab using Tomahawk missiles, which killed over 150 people, mostly children, despite clear indicators that the site was an educational facility. The mission’s findings are to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council.
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 fact-finding mission found reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes in Iran during two military strikes in February, including one on a school in Minab and another on a sports facility in Lamerd, which together killed around 178 civilians, mostly children. The mission also determined that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity while cracking down on anti-government protests starting late December 2022. These findings are part of a new report to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and highlight indiscriminate attacks causing civilian deaths, damage to civilian infrastructure, and severe human rights violations by both US forces and Iranian authorities during the conflict. Neither the US nor Iran responded immediately to Reuters' inquiries about these claims.
Written for “US War Crimes In Iran Strikes” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.65, but 2 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 16621: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-17
The United States likely committed “war crimes” in Iran when it launched a pair of air strikes that killed at least 178 civilians, including women and children, a United Nations fact-finding mission has found.
asserted
mission → commit → women
The report by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran on Thursday also accused Iran of human rights violations and crimes against humanity during protests last year and in early 2026.
asserted
report → accuse → 2026
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The mission referred to the US attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, which killed over 150 people – including approximately 120 children – on February 28, when the US and Israel launched their war against Iran.
asserted
US → know → Iran
The mission also referred to the US air strike on a “clearly identifiable” sports complex and residential area in Lamerd the same day, where precision strike missiles dispersed clouds of tungsten pellets, killing 22 civilian men and women.
asserted
missiles → refer → men
The findings, to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, examined the US’s conduct during the Iran war and the Iranian government’s response to nationwide unrest that began in late December.
asserted
that → submit → December
US air strikes against civilians
The attack on the school in Minab was conducted with the use of Tomahawk missiles.
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attack → conduct → missiles
“The Mission concluded that when identifying and directing its attack against the primary school in Minab, whose civilian nature is apparent, the US failed in its obligation to do everything feasible to verify that it was a military objective,” the report stated.
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report → conclude → everything
The report’s authors said that photographs and videos depicting the school before and after the strike showed “readily identifiable features” that it was associated with an educational facility for young children.
asserted
it → say → children
“These included child-oriented murals painted on exterior walls, school signage, and playground areas,” said the UN report.
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report → include → walls
“According to public reporting, satellite imagery of the school before the strike also appears to show human figures, readily identifiable as children, gathered in its courtyard.”
uncertain
imagery → accord → courtyard
Following the strike, state-affiliated media showed widespread destruction at the site, including parents holding the body parts of their children, and bloodied backpacks and schoolbooks.
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media → follow → children
“Several families lost more than one child, reflecting the devastating impact of the attack on families and the wider community,” the report said.
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report → lose → families
In June, US President Donald Trump said that “nobody” purposefully attacked a girls’ school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the incident, for which the Pentagon has not yet published any findings.
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Pentagon → say → findings
Regarding the strike in Lamerd, the mission similarly found that the sports centre attacked was “visibly separate” from an adjacent compound belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
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centre → regard → Corps
The 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 additionally accused Iran of repressing demonstrators during the country’s 2025-2026 protests through an internet shutdown, unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression.
It also stated that the number of deaths and injuries by state forces is much higher than the government’s reported toll – which says 3,038 people were killed and 25,000 people injured – but could not verify exact numbers.
uncertain
people → accuse → numbers
Tehran claims the majority of deaths occurred due to “rioters” during the protests backed by exiled opponents and the US and Israel.
uncertain
majority → claim → opponents
The UN fact-finding mission urged Iran and the US to immediately end hostilities, provide reparations to victims, and seek permanent peace through diplomatic means.
asserted
mission → find → means
The Aporia
