US strikes on Iranian school and sports centre constitute war crimes, UN panel finds

A United Nations fact-finding mission has accused both the United States and Iran of egregious atrocities, concluding that US missile strikes on civilian targets constitute war crimes, while Tehran committed crimes against humanity during its brutal suppression of anti-government protests.

The findings, which will be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, focus heavily on two devastating US airstrikes on 28 February 2026—the day the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran broke out.

The deadly school strike in Minab

In the first incident, Tomahawk missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the southern town of Minab. The attack killed at least 156 people, including 120 children, according to local officials.

The UN experts found that the school, although adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex, was clearly marked and separated by a wall. The investigators concluded that the school itself was the "intended point of impact" and was hit twice, dismissing the idea of an errant missile or collateral damage.

The report accused US forces of acting recklessly, failing to update their targeting databases, and failing to verify whether the building was a legitimate military target.

In response, the Pentagon said its internal investigation is ongoing. US President Donald Trump had previously stated that "nobody" targeted the school on purpose, while White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the UN Human Rights Council's findings, claiming it had "accomplished nothing for human rights" and that Iran was the sole perpetrator of war crimes.

Indiscriminate strikes in Lamerd

On the same day as the Minab strike, Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) hit a sports complex and residential area in the town of Lamerd. That attack killed 21 civilians, including seven children, according to local officials, though other estimates state 22 people were killed or wounded.

The UN panel noted that the sports facility had no military purpose and was clearly identifiable. Because the US is the only combatant using PrSM missiles, the investigators concluded there were "reasonable grounds" to hold American forces responsible for what they termed an indiscriminate attack.

US Central Command has denied conducting any strikes in Lamerd on that day and disputed that PrSM missiles were used.

Crimes against humanity in Tehran's crackdown

While pointing the finger at Washington for battlefield atrocities, the UN report was equally scathing about the Iranian government's actions at home.

It concluded that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity—including murder, torture, and arbitrary imprisonment—during their suppression of nationwide protests between December 2025 and January 2026.

The crackdown marked an unprecedented escalation. Security forces positioned themselves on rooftops to fire assault rifles into crowds of demonstrators. Others fired metal shotgun pellets that left victims permanently blinded.

In a move to block medical aid, security forces raided hospitals, beating and arresting wounded protesters and the medical staff treating them. Since the unrest, at least 29 men have been executed after rapid trials.

The UN mission said it was impossible to verify the exact death toll but believed it far exceeded official Iranian figures of 3,038 dead. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) has estimated that more than 7,000 people were killed.

Tehran has consistently denied systematic abuses, blaming the unrest on foreign-backed "terrorists and rioters."