RismadarVoice Reporters
September 17, 2026
A United Nations fact-finding mission has concluded that two United States air strikes in Iran may amount to war crimes, while separately accusing Iranian authorities of crimes against humanity in their response to nationwide protests.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said on Thursday that its findings concerning the US centred on strikes on a primary school in Minab and a sports complex and surrounding residential area in Lamerd on February 28.
At least 178 civilians were reported killed across the two incidents, according to the mission’s findings.
The mission said the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab killed more than 150 people, including a large number of children.
Investigators concluded that the United States failed to take all feasible steps to verify that the school was a military objective before directing the attack.
The mission said photographs, videos and satellite imagery available before the strike contained features indicating that the site was a civilian educational facility, including school signs, playground areas and child-oriented markings.
US President Donald Trump said in June that the school had not been deliberately targeted, citing an investigation into the incident. The Pentagon had not publicly released the findings of that investigation at the time covered by the UN report.
LAMERD STRIKE ALSO EXAMINED
The mission separately investigated an air strike on a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd on February 28, where it said 22 civilians were killed.
According to the investigators, the sports facility was clearly distinguishable from a nearby compound associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The US Central Command had previously denied that American forces carried out strikes inside Lamerd on the day in question.
The UN mission’s findings therefore represent its assessment of the available evidence and allegations surrounding the attacks rather than a criminal court judgment.
IRAN ACCUSED OVER PROTEST CRACKDOWN
The same investigation also accused Iranian authorities of serious violations during nationwide protests that began in late 2025 and continued into 2026.
The mission cited alleged unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, restrictions on freedom of expression and an internet shutdown.
It concluded that some of the violations amounted to crimes against humanity.
Iranian authorities have reported 3,038 deaths and about 25,000 injuries during the unrest. The UN mission said it believed the actual number of people killed and injured by state forces was higher but was unable to independently establish a precise total.
Tehran has disputed accounts blaming state forces for most of the deaths, maintaining that many were caused by what it described as rioters during unrest it alleges was supported by exiled opponents, the United States and Israel.
The mission called on both the United States and Iran to end hostilities, provide remedies and reparations for victims and pursue a lasting settlement through diplomacy.
Its findings are expected to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.