BREAKING: UN Accuses US of War Crimes Over Two Iran Strikes
A United Nations-mandated international fact-finding mission has found what it referred to as reasonable grounds to believe that the United States committed war crimes during two military strikes in Iran in February, including an attack that hit a primary school and killed scores of civilians.
The findings, released on Thursday, centre on strikes carried out on February 28 during the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
According to the investigators, one of the strikes hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, southern Iran. Iranian authorities reported that more than 150 people were killed, with children making up a large proportion of the victims.
THE NATIONAL LENS reports that the UN-backed investigators said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian facility and concluded that the attack amounted to an indiscriminate attack resulting in civilian deaths and damage to a civilian object.
A second strike examined by the mission occurred in Lamerd, where investigators said a weapon dispersing tungsten pellets struck a clearly identifiable sports complex and surrounding residential area. The mission said 22 civilians were killed in that incident.
Taken together, the two strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 178 civilians, according to the mission's findings.
The investigators said their conclusions were based on interviews, photographs, videos, satellite imagery and information from credible organisations and experts. They also acknowledged that access to information was limited by the continuing conflict, internet restrictions and incomplete cooperation from the governments involved.
The United States has not publicly accepted responsibility for the Lamerd strike, while the Trump administration has also not released the findings of a Pentagon investigation into the Minab school attack. US officials have previously maintained that American military operations were conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
The UN mission's findings are investigative rather than judicial, meaning they do not themselves constitute a criminal conviction. However, investigators said such findings could potentially contribute to future proceedings before national courts or international tribunals.
The report also accused Iranian authorities of committing crimes against humanity during a crackdown on anti-government protests, including allegations of killings, torture, arbitrary detention and other serious abuses.
The investigators called on both the United States and Iran to halt violations and provide reparations to victims.
The findings are expected to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva for further consideration.
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