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# UN Probe Says US Strikes on Iranian School and Sports Centre Were War Crimes
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/un-probe-says-us-strikes-on-iranian-school-and-sports-centre-were-war-crimes/
- Published: 2026-09-17T14:12:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-17T14:12:37.000Z
- Description: A UN fact-finding mission says there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two February strikes in Iran, including an attack on a primary school in Minab.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: middle-east, conflict, americas, The Day So Far, Top Stories, has-audio

A United Nations fact-finding mission has found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the United States committed war crimes during two military strikes in Iran in February, including an attack on a primary school that killed scores of children.

The Independent International [Fact-Finding Mission](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/09/iran-civilians-trapped-between-extreme-state-repression-and-violations?ref=theglobalvoice.com) on Iran said US forces were likely responsible for a strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab on February 28, during the opening phase of the US-Israel war with Iran. More than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials. The mission said the school was clearly identifiable as a civilian building and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes.

According to the report, US forces relied on intelligence suggesting that a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site but failed to adequately verify that information before launching the strike. The mission concluded that the failure went beyond simple negligence and that US forces acted despite a substantial risk of hitting a civilian object. On that basis, it said there were reasonable grounds to believe the strike constituted an indiscriminate attack and therefore a war crime.

The Pentagon has not published the findings of its own investigation into the Minab strike. [President Donald Trump said in June that “nobody” had intentionally targeted a girls’ school](https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-says-nobody-attacked-iran-girls-school-on-purpose-2026-06-17/?ref=theglobalvoice.com), while earlier reporting on an internal US assessment indicated that American forces were likely responsible and may have acted on outdated intelligence.

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The UN mission reached a similar conclusion over a separate strike on a sports facility in Lamerd, also on February 28\. The attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed or injured 22 civilians. The fact-finding team said that strike was also indiscriminate and amounted to a war crime. US Central Command has previously denied carrying out strikes in Lamerd that day.

The report does not focus only on US conduct. The mission also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests that began in late 2025\. Investigators cited unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Iran says more than 3,000 people were killed and 25,000 injured, though the mission said the actual toll may be considerably higher.

The fact-finding mission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 and is chaired by [Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain](https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/ffm-iran/members?ref=theglobalvoice.com). Its conclusions are not criminal judgments, but they can carry significant diplomatic and legal weight, particularly if evidence is later used by domestic or international courts.

Neither the US nor Iranian missions in Geneva immediately responded to requests for comment on the new findings. The report will now be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, adding fresh scrutiny to the conduct of both Washington and Tehran during one of the region’s most destructive conflicts in years.