UN Probe Accuses US of War Crimes in Iran Strikes, Citing High Civilian Death Toll
A UN Human Rights Council investigative team found reasonable grounds that US strikes in Minab and Lamerd may constitute war crimes, alongside systemic abuses by Iranian forces.
An independent investigative team appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to examine violations in Iran has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that the United States committed war crimes during two fatal strikes in the country. A report released on Thursday examined the bombing of a school in the city of Minab and a sports center in the city of Lamerd, at the outset of the war between the US, Israel, and Iran, according to Reuters and AP.
Findings on the Deadly Strikes
The two strikes occurred on February 28, on the first day of the conflict. According to the report, the targets were attacked based on insufficiently verified intelligence, and the operations allegedly failed to adhere to the principles of distinction and proportionality, which require parties to a conflict to distinguish between military targets and civilians.
The investigators determined that no evidence was found to indicate that the Shajareh Tayebeh elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, served as a military target at the time of the strike, resulting in the deaths of over 150 people, including some 120 children.
The US has not publicly accepted responsibility for the school strike, though a US military internal investigation reportedly indicated US forces likely carried out the operation. The second incident involved a sports center and residential area in Lamerd, Fars province, killing 22 civilians. US Central Command previously denied responsibility, but the UN team asserted that the reviewed information points to American involvement.
Investigation into Internal Regime Crackdown
Concurrently, the UN report scrutinized the violent suppression of anti-regime protests in Iran. According to the investigative team, Iranian security forces committed widespread and systematic violations, including unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and enforced disappearances.
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The team stated these actions constituted a coordinated policy to crush protests, potentially amounting to crimes against humanity.
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Tehran authorities reported 3,038 deaths during the unrest, but UN investigators estimated the true toll could be significantly higher.
