UN experts say there are reasonable grounds to believe the U.S. committed war crimes in two strikes on civilian targets in Iran in February, killing at least 177 people, including 120 children. The findings, from a UN fact-finding mission, will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The mission concluded that U.S. forces likely struck a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd, both clearly identifiable civilian objects. The attacks, which killed 156 and 21 civilians respectively, were deemed indiscriminate and constitute war crimes under international law. The U.S. has not publicly released its own investigation into the Minab strike.
The report also found Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a crackdown on anti-government protests in late December. The UN mission, which is not a judicial body, will present its findings to the Human Rights Council, noting that the U.S. is the only party to the conflict with the capability to launch the missiles used in the strikes.
The U.S. has denied responsibility for the Minab strike, with President Trump stating 'nobody' purposefully attacked a girls' school in Iran. The Pentagon has elevated its probe but has not published preliminary findings, while Iran has rejected allegations of systematic rights violations.