UN Experts Find Grounds to Believe US Committed War Crimes in Iran Strikes

United Nations experts have stated there are reasonable grounds to believe that the United States committed war crimes during two separate attacks in Iran on February 28, which resulted in civilian casualties. The UN Human Rights Council's independent fact-finding mission investigated two of the deadliest attacks on civilians during the conflict.

According to the mission's report, Tomahawk missiles struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab on February 28, killing at least 156 people, including 120 children. The school was adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex also targeted that day. However, the experts noted the school was clearly identifiable and there was no indication it was being used for military purposes. Evidence, including media reports suggesting a preliminary US military inquiry found US forces responsible and the fact that only the US possesses Tomahawk missiles, led the experts to believe the strike was carried out by the US.

The experts also concluded that the school was the intended point of impact and not the result of errant fire or collateral damage from the IRGC complex attack. Survivors reported the school was struck twice. The US military has not yet released findings from its investigation into the Minab strike. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously stated that the US military "would never target civilian targets."

In a separate incident on the same day, Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) reportedly dispersed tungsten pellets over a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd, killing at least 21 civilians, including seven children. The fact-finding mission's experts stated the sports complex was clearly identifiable and there was no information suggesting its military use. They concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe the US carried out this strike, citing that the US is the only party to the conflict possessing PrSM missiles.

The US military has denied conducting any strikes in Lamerd that day and disputed reports about the weapon used. In both incidents, the UN experts stated there were "reasonable grounds to believe that the US committed the war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects."

The fact-finding mission's report also detailed the Iranian authorities' crackdown on protests that occurred in December 2025 and January 2026. The experts described the repression as an unprecedented escalation, characterized by the widespread use of lethal force leading to mass killings and injuries, and extensive arrests. Witnesses and victims' families reported security personnel firing on crowds from elevated positions, and protesters sustaining severe wounds from metal shotgun pellets. Healthcare facilities were also attacked, with wounded demonstrators beaten and arrested, and some healthcare workers detained, deterring victims from seeking medical care.

Thousands detained during the protests allegedly faced torture, solitary confinement, and denial of legal counsel. The report noted an intensified use of the death penalty against protesters, with at least 29 men executed following expedited trials. The mission stated that while the death toll from the crackdown could not be independently verified, there were strong grounds to believe it was significantly higher than the official figure of 3,000. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) has confirmed the killing of over 7,000 people, predominantly protesters.

The UN experts concluded that Iranian authorities committed "many gross human rights violations" during the crackdown, amounting to "the crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment and other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, and other inhumane acts, committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against a civilian population." Iranian authorities accused the US and Israel of instigating the unrest and blamed the deaths on "terrorists" and "rioters."