UN experts say grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran strikes

The first incident under scrutiny occurred on February 28th, a date marked by the commencement of the war waged by the US and Israel against Iran. On this day, Tomahawk missiles, a sophisticated weaponry solely possessed by the United States among the conflict’s belligerents, rained down upon Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the southern Iranian town of Minab. Local authorities reported a harrowing death toll, with at least 156 individuals losing their lives, a staggering number that tragically included 120 children. The fact-finding mission’s experts meticulously examined the circumstances surrounding this attack. They confirmed that the school was situated adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex, which was also targeted on the same day. Crucially, the experts underscored that the school was unequivocally identifiable as a civilian educational institution and that no discernible evidence suggested its use for military purposes.

Based on a comprehensive review of gathered evidence, including media reports indicating that a preliminary US military inquiry had identified US forces as responsible for the strike, and the undeniable fact of US sole possession of Tomahawk missiles, the experts concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School was carried out by the United States. Furthermore, their analysis led them to the chilling conclusion that the school was "the intended point of impact." They dismissed any notion that the devastation was a result of an errant strike or collateral damage from the attack on the nearby IRGC complex. This conclusion was bolstered by the accounts of survivors who reported that the school was struck not once, but twice. While the US military has yet to publicly disclose the findings of its own investigation into the Minab strike, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained that the US military "would never target civilian targets."

The second devastating incident investigated by the fact-finding mission also took place on February 28th. On this day, Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), another advanced weapon system exclusive to the United States in this conflict, dispersed clouds of tungsten pellets over a sports complex and a densely populated residential area in the town of Lamerd. Local authorities reported that at least 21 civilians perished in this attack, including seven children. Similar to the Minab incident, the fact-finding mission’s experts meticulously confirmed that the sports complex was clearly identifiable as a civilian facility and that there was no indication of its involvement in any military activities.

The experts’ findings in the Lamerd case were equally damning. They concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the strike was executed by the United States, citing as primary evidence the fact that the US is the sole party to the conflict possessing PrSM missiles. In stark contrast, the US military has asserted that it conducted no strikes in Lamerd on that particular day and has disputed reports that identified the weapon used as a PrSM. In both of these horrific incidents, the fact-finding mission’s experts articulated their findings with grave concern, stating that 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."

Beyond the direct military actions, the fact-finding mission’s comprehensive report also delves into the Iranian authorities’ brutal suppression of widespread mass protests that convulsed Iran throughout December 2025 and January 2026. The experts characterized this crackdown as an unprecedented escalation of past repressive measures, marked by the pervasive and indiscriminate use of lethal force, resulting in mass killings and injuries, alongside extensive arrests. Eyewitness accounts, corroborated by healthcare workers and the families of victims, painted a grim picture of security personnel strategically positioned on rooftops and other elevated vantage points, unleashing volleys of fire from assault rifles into unarmed crowds. Protesters also sustained horrific injuries, including severe wounds to the head, chest, and eyes, inflicted by metal shotgun pellets, leading to permanent blindness for many.

As the crackdown intensified, Iranian security forces engaged in further egregious acts, attacking healthcare facilities. Demonstrators who sought medical attention were subjected to beatings and arrests, and even some healthcare workers were detained. This deliberate obstruction of medical care instilled a climate of fear, deterring victims from seeking life-saving treatment. The experts further documented that tens of thousands of individuals detained during the protests endured torture, prolonged periods of solitary confinement, and were systematically denied legal counsel. In a deeply alarming development, the report highlighted that the Iranian government has since intensified its use of the death penalty against protesters. At least 29 men have been executed following expedited trials on charges directly linked to the unrest.

The fact-finding mission’s report acknowledged the inherent difficulty in independently verifying the precise death toll from the crackdown. However, it asserted that there were strong grounds to believe that the actual number of fatalities was significantly higher than the official figure of 3,000, a figure the government claimed included a majority of security forces or bystanders. In stark contrast, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) has reported confirming the deaths of over 7,000 individuals, with the overwhelming majority identified as protesters. Based on this extensive evidence, the fact-finding mission’s experts concluded that Iranian authorities had committed "many gross human rights violations" during the crackdown. They further determined that these violations amounted 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." In response to these allegations, Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the unrest and have attributed the fatalities to what they have described as "terrorists" and "rioters."