A UN-backed inquiry has found reasonable grounds to believe that US forces committed war crimes in two attacks on civilian locations in Iran. The strikes, carried out on 28th February, hit a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd, killing at least 178 people.
The UN fact-finding mission said there are reasonable grounds to believe the US was responsible for deadly strikes on Iran’s #Minab Elementary School and #Lamerd sports complex, constituting war crimes; the Minab strike killed more than 150 people.#Iran #USWar pic.twitter.com/ycEb2CQgFV
— IranPress (@IranPress_eng) September 17, 2026
On Thursday, 17th September, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said the two attacks were indiscriminate under international humanitarian law. The report is not a court judgment, but its findings and evidence could be used in future accountability cases. The mission will formally present its conclusions to the 47-member UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
More than 150 killed in Minab school strike
The largest loss of life was reported at Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, southern Iran. Iranian state media reported 168 deaths, while the UN mission said more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren.
Investigators said the school was clearly a civilian building and found no evidence that it was being used for military activities at the time of the attack.
The school was located next to a naval complex belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the UN team, US forces did not properly update their targeting information or confirm that the school was still a military target before carrying out the strike.
The mission said this was more than a simple mistake because the US forces continued with the attack despite a significant risk that the target was a civilian building. It therefore found reasonable grounds to believe the strike amounted to a war crime.
US President Donald Trump said in June that “nobody” had intentionally attacked the school. An early US military assessment indicated that American forces were likely responsible, but the Pentagon has not yet released its investigation findings.
Lamerd strike killed and injured civilians
The UN mission also examined a separate strike on a sports complex and nearby residential areas in Lamerd.
Investigators said precision missiles containing tungsten pellets hit the area, killing and injuring 22 civilian men and women. Nearby houses and a school were also damaged.
The mission said the attack raised similar concerns under international humanitarian law and found reasonable grounds to consider it an indiscriminate attack. US Central Command had earlier denied carrying out a strike in Lamerd on that day.
The US government had not immediately responded to the UN findings when the report was published. Together, the Minab and Lamerd attacks resulted in at least 178 civilian deaths, according to the investigation.
Iran faces separate UN findings
The report also raised serious concerns about the actions of Iranian authorities during anti-government protests that began in late 2025.
The UN investigators said Iranian authorities carried out a “widespread and systematic” attack against civilians during the unrest. The findings include unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.
Iran’s official figures put the number of deaths during the protests at 3,038, while around 25,000 people were reported injured. The UN mission said the actual figures were likely much higher.
Tehran has rejected the accusations. Iranian authorities have blamed the violence on what they describe as foreign-backed “terrorists and rioters.”
Meanwhile, US officials have said American military operations follow the law of armed conflict.
The UN mission has called on both the US and Iran to stop violations, provide full reparations to victims and take steps to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Its report therefore raises serious concerns about civilian protection on both sides: US military actions in Iran and Iran’s treatment of civilians during domestic protests.
