A United Nations fact-finding mission has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States was responsible for military strikes targeting a primary school and a sports facility in Iran on 28 February, resulting in significant civilian casualties. The Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, was struck by what the UN identified as a US Tomahawk missile, causing the roof to collapse and killing 156 civilians, including 120 children. A second strike the same day targeted a sports complex and residential area in the city of Lamerd using a weapon that dispersed tungsten pellets, killing and injuring 22 civilians.
The UN mission determined that both strikes constituted indiscriminate attacks amounting to war crimes under international law. Regarding the school strike, investigators found the US relied on intelligence suggesting a senior Iranian military commander was present at the location but failed to adequately verify this information before launching the attack. The mission concluded that outdated targeting data and the failure to confirm the building served military purposes demonstrated reckless disregard for civilian casualties rather than mere negligence. UN experts found no evidence the school was being used for military objectives and identified it as a clearly identifiable civilian structure. The Pentagon has conducted an internal investigation into the incidents, with senior US commanders reportedly having been warned that targeting information used during the conflict was dangerously outdated.
The US government has maintained that military operations comply with the law of armed conflict. In June, President Donald Trump stated that “nobody” intentionally attacked a girls’ school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the matter. US Central Command stated in March that American forces had not launched strikes into Lamerd on that date.
Separately, the UN mission found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a widespread crackdown on anti-government protests that began in late December. The investigation documented unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. The report noted it could not independently verify death tolls but believed the actual number of casualties significantly exceeded official figures of 3,038 killed and 25,000 injured. The government’s response, including violence, internet shutdowns, and use of capital punishment, represented a significant escalation from previous patterns of suppressing dissent.
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