Key facts
- UN investigators found reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran.
- The US strikes on a school and sports facility killed at least 177 civilians, including 127 children.
- The UN report concluded the US launched indiscriminate attacks violating international humanitarian law.
- The Minab elementary school was the intended target of a US strike, not an errant missile, according to the UN.
- Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a crackdown on anti-government protests, UN experts found.
United Nations human rights experts have stated there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 177 civilians. The UN fact-finding mission submitted its report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The report detailed two specific incidents. On February 28, Tomahawk missiles struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, killing at least 156 people, including approximately 120 children. The UN investigators concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe the strike was carried out by the US, noting the school was the intended point of impact and not a result of an errant missile or collateral damage from an adjacent IRGC base. The New York Times reported that US Central Command used outdated data from the US Defense Intelligence Agency for the target coordinates.
Another US strike on February 28 hit a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd, killing at least 21 civilians, including seven children. The UN found reasonable grounds to believe this strike was also carried out by the US, citing the use of a previously untested Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) which detonates above its target, launching thousands of tungsten pellets. The UN concluded that by using this weapon in a populated civilian area, the US launched an attack that struck civilians and civilian objects recklessly.
The UN stated that the US's attacks were "indiscriminate" and violated "the principle of distinction" in international humanitarian law. The US military has denied striking Lamerd and stated it is investigating the Minab strike. The report also detailed the Iranian authorities' repression of protests in December 2025 and January 2026, describing it as an unprecedented escalation marked by widespread lethal force, extensive arrests, and attacks on healthcare facilities.