Washington – A United Nations Independent International Fact‑Finding Mission has concluded that two U.S. air strikes in Iran during the opening days of the conflict could be classified as war crimes. The mission cited indiscriminate attacks that resulted in the deaths of at least 156 civilians, including 120 children and 26 teachers at an elementary school in Minab, and 22 civilians at a sports center in Lamerd.
Administration’s Immediate Response
A senior State Department official told CNN that the Trump administration does not find the UN report credible. President Trump, who withdrew the United States from the UN Human Rights Council in February 2025, emphasized that the council has been plagued by bias and antisemitism, and therefore its findings should be viewed with skepticism.
Details of the Strikes
According to Iranian officials, the Minab school was struck on February 28, killing 120 children and 26 teachers. The UN investigators said satellite imagery from 2013 showed the school and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval base sharing a compound, but a fence erected in 2016 separated the school from the base. Images from December 2025 showed dozens of children playing in the school courtyard, and no evidence indicated the school was being used for military purposes at the time.
The second strike hit a sports center and residential area in Lamerd, killing 22 civilians. The UN mission found “reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects.”
U.S. Military Explanation
U.S. Central Command later said the strike on the Shajareh Tayyiba school was based on outdated intelligence supplied by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The mission’s target coordinates were derived from information that mistakenly linked the school to a nearby IRGC naval base. Early evidence suggests the error stemmed from reliance on old satellite data rather than a deliberate intent to target civilians.
Two sources familiar with the ongoing internal Pentagon investigation told CNN that the first two stages of a standard investigation – confirming the strike hit its intended target and establishing U.S. responsibility – were completed within a week. However, the third stage, which involves a thorough review of satellite imagery and other intelligence, has not yet been ordered.
UN’s Broader Findings
The UN report also examined Iran’s crackdown on anti‑government protesters in late 2025 and early 2026, describing the repression as “crimes against humanity.” The investigators noted that Iran responded to only about a quarter of the UN’s information requests, limiting the mission’s ability to verify all details.
Administration’s Position on Accountability
While the Department of Defense declined to comment beyond noting that an investigation is ongoing, the administration stresses that any allegations of war crimes must be substantiated by transparent, unbiased evidence. President Trump’s decision to pull the United States from the Human Rights Council was intended to protect American sovereignty and prevent politically motivated investigations from undermining legitimate defense actions.
What Comes Next
The UN mission plans to submit its findings to the UN Human Rights Council, though the United States is no longer a member. The Trump administration has indicated it will continue its own internal review and expects any conclusions to be based on factual, verifiable intelligence rather than the politically charged assessments of an organization it has deemed compromised.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
