A United Nations fact-finding mission has presented evidence suggesting that the United States conducted two military strikes in Iran this past February, targeting a school and a sports facility. These actions have been classified as potential war crimes by the mission.
Allegations Against the United States
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran is set to submit a comprehensive report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report scrutinizes the United States’ military actions during the Iran conflict that began earlier this year, alongside Iran’s handling of widespread protests starting late last year.
The report highlights a particular incident involving the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, where a strike reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 150 individuals, including approximately 120 children. The mission criticized the US for not updating its targeting databases and failing to confirm the school’s status as a military target before the attack.
Despite the US government’s assertion that military operations adhere to the law of armed conflict, the report asserts that the attack was reckless and constitutes a war crime under international law. The US had allegedly targeted the site based on intelligence about a senior Iranian military figure’s presence, though this information was not sufficiently verified.
Additional Strikes and Reactions
Another strike in Lamerd targeted a sports center, causing damage to nearby residential areas and resulting in civilian casualties. The UN mission deemed this strike indiscriminate, thus qualifying it as a war crime.
While US Central Command has denied launching strikes in Lamerd on the specified date, an internal US military investigation has been initiated regarding the Minab incident. President Donald Trump, in June, stated that no intentional attack was carried out on a girls’ school in Iran.
Iran’s Internal Actions During Protests
The UN mission also investigated Iran’s response to anti-government protests that began in late December. The Iranian government has been accused of committing crimes against humanity through its severe crackdown on demonstrators, which included violence, internet blackouts, and executions.
Although Tehran has attributed the unrest to “terrorists and rioters” backed by foreign adversaries like the US and Israel, the mission suggests the actual casualty figures could be significantly higher than the official count of 3,038 deaths and 25,000 injuries.
