‘Reasonable grounds’ to believe US committed war crimes in Iran – UN

Indiscriminate attacks, such as the strike on an elementary school in Minab, went beyond negligence, a new report has found

A UN fact-finding mission has found reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes by carrying out indiscriminate strikes on civilian targets in Iran, according to a new report.

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran released its findings to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, focusing in part on two strikes it described as “emblematic” of the conflict and involving “significant violations” of international law.

The first was the February 28 double strike on an elementary school in Minab. The mission said credible information confirmed 157 deaths, including 123 children aged 13 and younger.

Investigators identified the weapon as a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), used only by the US during the conflict. Citing evidence including internal Pentagon investigations and Washington’s failure to explain the incident, the mission concluded that the school had been deliberately targeted, apparently on the basis of outdated intelligence.

The site had been part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound before 2016, but the school had been separated from the military facility by a wall for more than a decade. Investigators said it was clearly identifiable as a civilian site and found no evidence it was being used for military purposes.

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The second incident involved a strike on a sports complex and surrounding residential area in Lamerd, Fars Province. The mission said the attack killed and injured 22 civilians and damaged nearby homes and a school.

Investigators said a US-made Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) detonated in the air, dispersing around 180,000 tungsten pellets over a wide area.

In both cases, the mission concluded that US conduct went beyond negligence and amounted to the war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in civilian deaths, injuries or damage to civilian property. It said the US had failed to adequately verify targeting information despite the risk to civilians.

The report also cited rhetoric from senior US officials, including President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, which investigators said indicated a “deprioritization of civilian harm mitigation” and compliance with international humanitarian law.

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Hegseth’s call for ‘no mercy’ to Iranians deemed war crime

Hegseth had called for the US military to be “more lethal” and said American forces would give “no quarter” to their enemies, drawing criticism from lawmakers and legal experts over the implications for prisoners of war.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the UN, accusing it of failing to resolve international conflicts and of bias against Israel, which joined the US in launching the war against Iran. His administration has also withdrawn Washington from several UN bodies and agencies.

The fact-finding mission separately accused Iranian authorities of serious violations during their 2025-2026 crackdown on mass protests, concluding that some abuses amounted to crimes against humanity.

Trump publicly backed the protesters and offered them US protection, while Tehran accused Washington of supporting unrest as part of a failed regime-change effort.