UN Finds ‘Reasonable Grounds’ for US War Crimes in Iran

By Staff, Agencies

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

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran examined two strikes it described as “emblematic” of the conflict and involving “significant violations” of international law.

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

Investigators identified the weapon as a US-only Tomahawk Land Attack Missile [TLAM]. Citing evidence including internal Pentagon investigations and Washington’s failure to explain the strike, the mission concluded that the school had been deliberately targeted, apparently based on outdated intelligence.

Although the site had previously been part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guards [IRG] compound before 2016, 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.

The second strike targeted a sports complex and surrounding residential area in Lamerd, Fars Province, killing and injuring 22 civilians and damaging nearby homes and a school, according to the mission.

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

In both incidents, the mission concluded that US conduct went beyond negligence and amounted to the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks that caused civilian martyrs, injuries and property damage. It said Washington had failed to adequately verify targeting information despite the foreseeable risk to civilians.

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

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

Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly criticized the UN, accusing it of failing to resolve international wars 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.

Separately, the fact-finding mission accused Iranian authorities of serious violations during the 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 an unsuccessful regime-change effort.