UN panel finds reasonable grounds US committed war crimes in February strikes on Iran

UN findings on American airstrikes

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran presented findings on 17 September 2026 establishing reasonable grounds that the United States committed war crimes during military strikes in February. The investigation examined two separate American bombardments against civilian sites that caused the deaths of at least 178 civilians, including women and children. Set for formal submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the report evaluated US military conduct during the armed conflict that began in February alongside actions by the Iranian government. The panel determined that American forces conducted indiscriminate attacks resulting in heavy civilian casualties and the destruction of non-military infrastructure.

Following the United States and Israeli attacks on 28 February, the mission found reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects.

Bombardments in Minab and Lamerd

On 28 February 2026, American Tomahawk cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the southern Iranian city of Minab. Iranian officials reported that more than 150 people died in the strike, with approximately 120 schoolchildren among the dead, while Iranian state media cited 168 fatalities and independent accounts referenced by the UN panel counted 157 dead. Investigators established that the primary school was situated roughly 70 meters from an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base, but was selected as the intended target rather than hit by an errant projectile. US planners relied on intelligence indicating a senior Iranian commander was at the location, yet failed to verify or update the information before firing.

Rather, the US directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen.

A second strike on 28 February 2026 hit a sports facility in Lamerd in Fars province, killing 22 civilians after precision munitions dispersed tungsten shrapnel across the area.

Iranian government crackdown and civilian toll

The report concluded that Iranian state authorities committed crimes against humanity while crushing nationwide anti-government demonstrations that began in late December. Security forces conducted killings on a staggering scale, firing live ammunition from rooftops into crowds and intentionally aiming non-lethal projectiles at the eyes of demonstrators. Human rights groups cited in the UN report documented that security personnel killed at least 221 children during the suppression of the protests. Investigators stated that Iranian civilians were caught between systemic violence carried out by their own rulers and the military campaign waged by the United States and Israel.

Military inquiries and official positions

Diplomatic missions representing both the United States and Iran in Geneva did not issue responses following the release of the UN report. In June 2026, US President Donald Trump stated that nobody purposefully attacked a girls' school, referring to an ongoing inquiry into the incident. An initial internal review by the US military found that American forces were likely responsible for the strike in Minab. The Pentagon subsequently expanded the scope of that inquiry but has not published any preliminary findings. In March 2026, US Central Command stated that American forces had flown no combat missions targeting Lamerd on the day of the sports center strike.