A UN mission Iran war crimes investigation has found reasonable grounds to believe that US forces were responsible for two February strikes on civilian facilities in Iran. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said the attacks constituted war crimes. The findings will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The investigation examined the US military campaign that began in February and Iran’s response to nationwide protests that started in late December. The mission said it had identified concerns involving civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. Neither the US nor Iranian missions in Geneva immediately responded to requests for comment.
One major finding involved the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab. Iranian officials said more than 150 people were killed in the strike, including around 120 schoolchildren. UN investigators said there were reasonable grounds to believe US forces carried out the attack and concluded that the school was a clearly identifiable civilian site.
The report said US forces relied on intelligence indicating that a senior Iranian military commander might have been at the location. Investigators said the information was not adequately verified before the strike. They concluded that the failure to establish the building was a military target, despite the risk to civilians, went beyond simple negligence.
The UN mission also examined a February strike on a sports centre in Lamerd. According to the report, the attack damaged nearby homes and a school and killed or injured 22 civilians. Investigators described the strike as indiscriminate and said it therefore amounted to a war crime under international law. US Central Command had previously said its forces did not strike Lamerd that day.
Alongside the findings on the US strikes, the mission reported serious abuses by Iranian authorities during the protest crackdown. It said the response involved unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and restrictions on freedom of expression. The mission characterized the campaign against civilians as widespread and systematic.
The investigators said they could not independently verify Iran’s official figures of 3,038 deaths and 25,000 injuries during the protests. However, they said the actual toll was likely higher. The report also cited internet shutdowns and use of the death penalty as part of the government response, adding that the findings would be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council for consideration.
