- UN mission alleges US war crimes in two civilian strikes.
- Panel accuses Iran of widespread crimes against humanity.
- Report to UN details findings, seeks accountability.
US Iran War Crimes: A United Nations-backed fact-finding mission has raised serious allegations against both the United States and Iran over separate incidents linked to the conflict and unrest in the country. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said there are reasonable grounds to believe that US forces carried out two attacks earlier this year that amounted to war crimes. The incidents involved a primary school in Minab and a sports facility in Lamerd, according to the mission’s findings.
At the same time, the panel accused Iranian security forces of committing crimes against humanity during a broad crackdown on anti-government protests that began in December.
The report is due to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. It examines the conduct of US forces during the conflict that erupted in February as well as the Iranian government’s response to nationwide demonstrations.
Minab School Strike Probed
One of the incidents investigated by the panel was a Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab.
Iranian officials have said the attack killed more than 150 people, including around 120 children. The fact-finding mission said its investigation found the school was recognisable as a civilian facility and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes.
The panel characterised the attack as indiscriminate, saying it resulted in civilian deaths and damage to civilian property. It concluded there were “reasonable grounds to believe that the United States committed a war crime by launching indiscriminate attacks that killed or injured civilians or damaged civilian objects.”
President Donald Trump had said in June that “nobody” had deliberately targeted a girls’ school in Iran, while pointing to an investigation into the incident.
Reuters had previously reported that an internal US military assessment indicated American forces were likely responsible for the Minab strike. The Pentagon has since expanded its investigation, but its findings have not been made public.
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Lamerd Attack Also Cited
The second case examined by investigators concerned a sports complex in Lamerd. According to the mission, precision weapons used in the attack scattered tungsten pellets across the facility and a nearby residential area.
The incident reportedly killed 22 civilians and caused damage to homes and a school in the vicinity. Investigators said they determined that the sports facility, like the Minab school, was a civilian location without an identified military role.
The mission concluded that the Lamerd incident was also indiscriminate and unlawful under international humanitarian law.
The finding contrasts with an earlier statement from US Central Command, which said in March that American forces had not carried out strikes in Lamerd on the day in question.
The Pentagon has not commented on the substance of the UN panel’s conclusions. “Our investigation remains ongoing, and we have nothing to announce at the moment,” it said.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly rejected the broader criticism, saying the Human Rights Council had “accomplished nothing for human rights” and maintaining that Iran was the only side in the conflict responsible for war crimes. Iran’s mission in Geneva had not responded to requests for comment when the report was being prepared.
Iran Faces Separate Charges
The investigation also examined the Iranian government’s response to protests that began in December.
The mission said Iranian authorities carried out what it described as a widespread and systematic campaign against civilians. Its findings include allegations of unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and restrictions on freedom of expression.
Human rights organisations have reported that civilians and bystanders were among those killed during the unrest, which has been described as the most severe crackdown in Iran since the establishment of clerical rule in 1979.
Tehran, however, has rejected such characterisations and has blamed the violence on “terrorists and rioters”, alleging that exiled dissidents as well as the United States and Israel supported the unrest.
Calls For Accountability
The fact-finding mission is made up of independent experts and is not itself a judicial body. It therefore does not have the authority to prosecute or impose criminal penalties on those accused of wrongdoing.
However, its findings could potentially be used as evidence in proceedings before domestic courts or international institutions, including the International Criminal Court.
The panel called on all parties to end hostilities and work towards a lasting peace. “They should also ensure that allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by all parties are independently investigated and those responsible held to account,” the report states.
It further called on Washington and Tehran to stop “all violations and crimes,” provide full compensation to victims and adopt measures aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.
