A United Nations fact finding mission has said there are reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces were responsible for two military strikes in Iran in February that amounted to war crimes, while also finding that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
The findings, contained in a report to be submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, examine both U.S. military conduct during the Iran war and the Iranian government’s response to nationwide protests that began in late December.
The mission said it found reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces were responsible for strikes on a primary school in Minab and a sports facility in Lamerd. Investigators concluded that both attacks were indiscriminate and caused civilian casualties.
The report also documented what it described as a widespread and systematic campaign by Iranian authorities involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and restrictions on freedom of expression during the protests.
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The Iranian and U.S. missions in Geneva did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
U.S. officials have previously said American military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict. Iran has repeatedly rejected allegations of systematic human rights violations.
UN probes deadly Minab school strike
The U.N. mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces carried out the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, where Iranian officials said more than 150 people were killed, including about 120 schoolchildren.
Investigators concluded that the attack constituted an indiscriminate attack that caused civilian deaths and damaged civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law.
According to the report, U.S. forces had intelligence indicating that a senior Iranian military commander was present at the location. But the investigators said the information was not adequately verified before the strike.
The mission said U.S. forces failed to sufficiently update their targeting intelligence or establish that the school had become a legitimate military objective.
It concluded that the conduct went beyond simple negligence, saying the United States directed the strike at the school while aware of a substantial risk of hitting a civilian object.
The school was a clearly identifiable civilian site, the investigators said, and they found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes.
In June, U.S. President Donald Trump said that “nobody” had deliberately attacked a girls’ school in Iran, citing an investigation into the incident.
Reuters had previously reported that an initial U.S. military investigation indicated that American forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab.
The Pentagon subsequently elevated the investigation, but has not publicly released preliminary findings.
Second strike also classified as a war crime
The U.N. mission reached a similar conclusion regarding a U.S. strike on a sports facility in Lamerd.
According to the report, the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed or injured 22 civilians.
Investigators classified the strike as indiscriminate and therefore as a war crime under international law.
U.S. Central Command said in March that American forces had not carried out strikes in the city of Lamerd on the day in question.
The differing accounts leave the U.N. findings at odds with the U.S. military’s public position regarding the incident.
UN documents Iran’s crackdown
The mission also investigated the Iranian government’s response to nationwide protests that began in late December.
It found that Iranian authorities had carried out what investigators described as a widespread and systematic attack against civilians, involving killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression.
The protests represented one of the largest challenges to the Iranian government in recent years.
Human rights groups have reported that bystanders were among those killed during the crackdown. Iranian authorities, meanwhile, have described protesters as “terrorists and rioters” supported by exiled opponents and foreign governments, including the United States and Israel.
The U.N. mission said it could not independently verify the overall death toll.
It nevertheless concluded that the number of people killed and injured was likely substantially higher than official figures. Iranian authorities have reported 3,038 deaths and 25,000 injuries.
The mission said the government’s response represented a significant escalation compared with earlier patterns of suppressing dissent, citing the use of lethal force, mass restrictions on communications, arrests and the death penalty.
Two governments under scrutiny
The report places scrutiny on both sides of the Iran conflict, although the allegations concern different bodies of international law and different conduct.
The findings regarding the United States concern the conduct of military operations and whether attacks against civilian objects complied with international humanitarian law.
The findings regarding Iran concern the treatment of civilians during the government’s response to protests and the alleged systematic nature of abuses committed by state authorities.
The mission’s conclusions are investigative findings rather than court judgments. They could nevertheless contribute to future international discussions over accountability and potential legal action.
The report also highlights the difficulty of establishing responsibility during an active conflict, particularly when governments dispute the circumstances surrounding individual strikes.
What the findings mean
The U.N. findings are likely to add another layer to the international debate over the conduct of the Iran war and the government’s treatment of protesters.
For Washington, the allegations raise questions about targeting procedures, intelligence verification and civilian protection during military operations.
For Tehran, the findings add to longstanding international scrutiny of the government’s treatment of political dissent and protesters.
The two sets of findings also underline a broader issue surrounding accountability during conflicts: allegations of unlawful conduct can involve both military operations between states and the treatment of civilians by governments within their own territory.
The report will now be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council, where its findings can inform further discussion over human rights and international law in relation to the Iran conflict and the government’s crackdown on dissent.
With information from Reuters.
