A United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran says it has “reasonable grounds to believe” that U.S. forces were responsible for two February strikes on a primary school and a sports centre in Iran, concluding that the attacks were indiscriminate and amounted to war crimes under international law.
The findings are contained in a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which is expected to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The investigation examined both the conduct of U.S. forces during the Iran war and the Iranian government’s response to nationwide anti-government protests that began in late December.
According to the mission, U.S. forces were responsible for the February 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab. Iranian officials say more than 150 people were killed in the attack, including approximately 120 schoolchildren. UN investigators described the school as a clearly identifiable civilian site and said they found no evidence that the building was being used for military purposes.
The school was located next to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval complex. However, the mission concluded that failures to update U.S. targeting information and verify whether the school itself remained a military objective went beyond simple negligence. Investigators said there were reasonable grounds to believe the strike was carried out despite a substantial known risk of hitting a civilian target.
The mission therefore concluded that the Minab attack was an indiscriminate strike that caused civilian deaths and damaged civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime. Reuters previously reported that preliminary findings from an internal U.S. military investigation indicated American forces were likely responsible for the school strike. The Pentagon subsequently elevated its investigation but has not publicly released preliminary findings.
UN investigators reached a similar conclusion regarding a February 28 strike on a sports centre in Lamerd. According to the report, the attack killed and injured 22 civilians and damaged nearby homes and a school. The mission concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and constituted a war crime. U.S. Central Command said in March that American forces had not carried out strikes in Lamerd that day.
The U.S. mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the UN findings. U.S. officials have previously maintained that American military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
The UN investigation separately examined Iran’s crackdown on anti-government demonstrations that erupted weeks before the U.S. and Israeli strikes. The mission found that Iranian authorities carried out what it described as a widespread and systematic attack against civilians involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression.
The mission concluded that actions by Iranian authorities during the crackdown amounted to crimes against humanity. Iran has consistently rejected allegations of systematic human-rights abuses and has blamed unrest on what it describes as terrorists and rioters supported by foreign adversaries, including the United States and Israel.
Investigators said they could not independently verify the overall number of people killed during the protests but believed the true number of deaths and injuries was likely substantially higher than official figures. Iranian authorities have reported 3,038 deaths and approximately 25,000 injuries.
The mission said the government’s response — including killings and other violence, internet restrictions and use of the death penalty — represented a significant escalation compared with previous patterns of suppressing dissent. The UN fact-finding mission, composed of independent experts and established by the Human Rights Council, is expected to formally present its latest findings to the 47-member council.
