UN report finds possible US war crimes in Iran strikes on school and sports facility

A UN fact-finding mission report released on September 17, 2026, states there are reasonable grounds to believe the U.S. committed war crimes during its war with Iran. The report highlights a February 28, 2026, strike on a Minab primary school that killed over 150 people, mostly children, and a strike on a Lamerd sports facility that killed 22 civilians. The White House and State Department strongly rejected the findings, while the report also accused Iran of committing crimes against humanity.

UN war crimes findings

• ▪The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran is chaired by Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain and consists of independent experts.
• ▪The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran is scheduled to present its report to the 47-member UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on September 21, 2026.
• ▪The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran released a report on September 17, 2026, stating there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes in Iran.

Minab school strike details

• ▪The Feb. 28, 2026, strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab killed more than 150 people, including approximately 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials and UN findings
• ▪In June 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that an investigation showed nobody purposefully attacked the girls' school in Iran.
• ▪The UN report stated that the Shajareh Tayyebeh school was adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval complex, but found no evidence the school was being used for military purposes.
• ▪The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran concluded that U.S. forces were responsible for a February 28, 2026, Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, Iran.
• ▪A report by the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, released September 17, 2026, concluded that the U.S. directed strikes at the Minab school building while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object, acting recklessly beyond mere negligence

Lamerd sports facility strike

• ▪U.S. Central Command denied launching any strikes in or within 30 miles of Lamerd on February 28, 2026, suggesting the weapon seen in footage was an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.
• ▪The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran found reasonable grounds to believe the U.S. committed a war crime in a February 28, 2026, strike on a sports center in Lamerd, Iran, which killed 22 civilians.
• ▪The UN report found reasonable grounds to believe a U.S.-made Precision Strike Missile, which disperses tungsten pellets, was used in the Lamerd strike.

White House rejection statement

• ▪The Trump Administration withdrew the United States from the UN Human Rights Council in February 2025 via an executive order.
• ▪A U.S. State Department official stated that the U.S. does not give credibility to a report by the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, released September 17, 2026, asserting the UN Human Rights Council pushes anti-American rhetoric and antisemitism
• ▪White House spokesperson Anna Kelly rejected a report by the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, released September 17, 2026, stating the UN Human Rights Council has accomplished nothing for human rights and that Iran is the only party in the Iran war that began in February 2026 that committed war crimes

Iran protest crackdown crimes

• ▪The UN report noted that at least 29 men were executed, five publicly, in connection with the Iranian protests following summary trials.
• ▪A UN probe by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, released September 17, 2026, stated that the Iranian protest death toll likely far exceeds the official government figures of 3,038 killed and 25,000 injured
• ▪A report by the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, released September 17, 2026, found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a widespread and systematic crackdown on anti-government protests that began in late December

February Iran war context

• ▪The war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran began on February 28, 2026, and has resulted in significant civilian casualties across the region.
• ▪Human rights groups estimate that more than 1,700 civilians in Iran were killed by the end of April 2026, including over 1,000 in the first five days of the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign that began Feb. 28, 2026

Debatable claims

• ▪The UN report on U.S. military actions in Iran is credible
• ▪The U.S. strike on the Minab school constitutes a war crime