UN Fact-Finding Mission: U.S. Strikes on Minab School and Lamerd Sports Center Were War Crimes

The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has published a new report saying there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that the United States committed the war crime of “launching indiscriminate attacks” with the two February 28 strikes, in the first salvo of the war — one against a primary school in the southern city of Minab, the other against a sports center and a residential area in Lamerd.

At least 156 people, including 120 children and 26 teachers, were killed when the school in Minab was struck on February 28, according to Iranian officials — one of the deadliest incidents involving civilians in recent U.S. military history. In Lamerd, investigators found 22 civilians killed. The report notes: “No information indicates that the school was being used for military purposes at the time. The U.S. failed in its obligation to do everything feasible to verify that it was a military objective.”

Investigators reached their conclusions after analyzing satellite imagery, video and photographs, information from credible organizations and experts, and conducting dozens of interviews inside and outside Iran. Early evidence suggests the U.S. military mistakenly struck the school due to outdated intelligence, while targeting a neighboring naval base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: 2013 satellite images showed the school and the base as a single complex, but 2016 images showed a dividing fence, while December 2025 footage showed dozens of people in the schoolyard.

The American reaction was harsh. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement: “The only party to this conflict that has committed war crimes is the Iranian regime, which has killed thousands of its own citizens, killed Americans abroad, committed acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz and launched indiscriminate attacks against its neighbors in the region.” A State Department official told CNN that the Trump administration gives “no credence to the findings of this report,” noting that Trump withdrew the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council in February 2025. The Pentagon declined to comment, saying only that its investigation is ongoing.

The independent investigators’ report also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity in suppressing anti-government protesters in late 2025 and early 2026, before the war began: thousands killed, torture and “disappearances” without notifying families. “These grave violations amount to crimes against humanity,” the report says. Investigators sought unfettered access to Iran, but the Iranian government did not grant it; of all the UN’s requests for information, Iran answered only about a quarter. Requests for meetings with U.S. officials and information from the Israeli government went unanswered.

The report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and could be used by international courts such as the International Criminal Court. While the U.S. is not a member of the ICC, it has its own war crimes laws. The Pentagon’s internal investigation into the Minab strike has been stalled for months: the first two phases were completed within a week, but the third phase — a review of satellite imagery and intelligence sources — has not yet been ordered.

Source: CNN — https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/middleeast/us-strike-iran-school-war-crime-un-intl-hnk