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

UN human rights experts say there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 177 civilians.

Key points

• The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) has remarked it has confirmed the killing of more than 7, 000 residents, almost all of them protesters.
• The fact-finding mission's report additionally covers the Iranian authorities' violent repression of the mass protests that took place throughout Iran in December 2025 and January 2026.
• 'What was their crime?': BBC visits Iran school where strike killed 120 children.
• For their latest report to the UN Human Rights Council, the mission's three independent experts investigated two of the deadliest attacks on civilians during the conflict.
• They remarked killings by security forces occurred on "a staggering and unprecedented scale" throughout all 31 provinces.

For context, a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, external remarked February's missile strikes on a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd constituted indiscriminate attacks causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure.

There was no immediate comment from the US. It has previously denied striking Lamerd and remarked it is investigating what happened in Minab.

In practice, the experts additionally identified Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a crackdown on mass anti-government protests in January.

Iran has additionally not yet commented on the findings, but it has previously rejected allegations of systematic violations of human rights.

Experts dispute US account of deadly Iran sports hall strike in Lamerd.

Video demonstrates US missile probable applied in deadly strike on Iranian town, experts say. US missile hit military base near Iran school, video analysis demonstrates.

"Civilians in Iran are caught between gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by their own government and the nation's deadly conflict with the United States and Israel, " the fact-finding mission cautioned in an official note on Thursday.

When the US and Israel introduced their war against Iran, Tomahawk missiles struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the southern town of Minab, killing at least 156 residents, including 120 children, according to local authorities, on 28 February.

For context, the fact-finding mission's experts remarked the school was adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex additionally attacked that day, but that the school was clearly identifiable and that no information indicated that it was applied for military purposes.

In practice, the experts remarked that, based on the evidence gathered – including media reports indicating that a preliminary US military inquiry identified US forces responsible, and the fact that the US is the only party to the conflict that possesses Tomahawk missiles – they had reasonable grounds to believe that the strike on the school was carried out by the US.

They additionally concluded that the school was "the intended point of impact and that the damage did not result from an errant strike or collateral damage" from the attack on the IRGC complex, citing survivors as saying the school was struck twice.

Notably, the US military has yet to release the findings of its investigation into the Minab strike, but Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has remarked it would "never target civilian targets".

Additionally on 28 February, Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) dispersed clouds of tungsten pellets over a sports complex and residential area in the town of Lamerd, killing at least 21 civilians, including seven children, according to local authorities.

Again, the fact-finding mission's experts remarked the sports complex was clearly identifiable and that no information indicated it was employed for military purposes.

They concluded by saying there were reasonable grounds to believe that the strike was carried out by the US, citing evidence including the fact that the US is the only party to the conflict that possesses PrSM missiles.

In practice, the US military has remarked it carried no strikes on Lamerd that day and disputed reports identifying the weapon employed as a PrSM.

In both incidents, the fact-finding mission's experts remarked 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".

In practice, the fact-finding mission's report additionally covers the Iranian authorities' violent repression of the mass protests that took place throughout Iran in December 2025 and January 2026.

Notably, the experts remarked it was an unprecedented escalation from past crackdowns, marked by the widespread apply of lethal force resulting in mass killings and injuries, and extensive arrests.

They cited witnesses, health workers and victims' families as saying that security personnel positioned themselves on rooftops and other elevated positions, firing their assault rifles into crowds.

Protesters additionally sustained severe wounds to the head, chest and eyes from metal shotgun pellets, causing permanent blindness.

As the crackdown escalated, security forces attacked healthcare facilities, beating and arresting wounded demonstrators and arresting some healthcare workers. It deterred victims from seeking life-saving care, according to the experts.

They additionally identified that the tens of thousands of individuals detained during the protests faced torture, solitary confinement and denial of legal counsel.

Notably, the experts cautioned that the administration had since intensified its employ of the death penalty against protesters, with at least 29 men executed after expedited trials on charges connected to the unrest.

According to The fact-finding mission's report, it was not feasible to independently verify the death toll from the crackdown, but noted there were robust grounds to believe that it was significantly higher than the official figure of 3, 000, most of whom the administration identified as members of the security forces or bystanders.

Meanwhile, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) has remarked it has confirmed the killing of more than 7, 000 residents, almost all of them protesters.

Meanwhile, the fact-finding mission's experts concluded that Iranian authorities had committed "many gross human rights violations" during the crackdown, and that these 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".

Iranian authorities accused the US and Israel of fomenting the unrest and blamed the deaths on what they described as "terrorists" and "rioters".

In short, UN experts say grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.