UN mission finds 'reasonable grounds' for US war crimes in Iran

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran concluded on Thursday that the United States committed war crimes during airstrikes on Iranian civilian targets in February, finding that attacks on a primary school and a sports complex killed at least 178 civilians including women and children, according to the report released in Geneva.

Civilian sites targeted

The mission documented two specific strikes carried out by US forces. Tomahawk missiles struck a primary school in Minab, killing more than 150 people, while Precision Strike Missiles dispersed tungsten pellets over a sports complex and adjacent residential area in Lamerd, claiming 22 civilian lives. The investigation found "reasonable grounds to believe that the US committed war crimes during a pair of airstrikes which killed at least 178 civilians, including women and children," the report stated.

Iranian crackdown condemned

The report also concluded that Iranian authorities conducted a violent crackdown on protests during 2025-2026, marking what investigators called an unprecedented escalation from past repression. The government deployed lethal force resulting in mass killings and injuries alongside extensive arrests, and imposed a nationwide internet and communications blackout in January at the height of the demonstrations. "Civilians in Iran are caught between gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by their own Government and the nation's deadly conflict with the United States and Israel," the mission said.

Demands for reparations

The mission urged both Washington and Tehran to immediately cease all violations and provide full reparations to victims. It called for an immediate end to hostilities, renewed diplomatic action by UN member states for permanent peace, and third-state accountability through universal jurisdiction.