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UN Finds Reasonable Grounds That U.S. Strikes in Iran Were War Crimes

A UN fact‑finding mission also concluded Iran’s protest crackdown amounted to crimes against humanity, saying the report could shape future legal and diplomatic steps.

Overview

  • The Independent International Fact‑Finding Mission published its report on Sept. 17, 2026, saying there are reasonable grounds to believe two Feb. 28 strikes — on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab and a sports facility in Lamerd — were indiscriminate attacks that meet the forensic threshold for war crimes.
  • The mission reported that the Minab school was a clearly identifiable civilian site and said U.S. targeting relied on intelligence that was not adequately verified before the strike, a failure the team described as recklessness rather than mere negligence.
  • Investigators attributed the Lamerd strike to U.S. forces but noted a sharp dispute because U.S. Central Command has denied carrying out strikes there on the day cited by the mission.
  • The same UN team concluded Iranian authorities carried out a widespread, systematic attack on protesters beginning in late December 2025 involving killings, torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances that amount to crimes against humanity.
  • The report is investigatory not judicial, was built on interviews and imagery and faced access limits from both governments, the White House rejected the findings, and U.S. military probes — including an elevated Pentagon inquiry into the Minab strike — remain ongoing and unpublished.