Six months into the US-Iran war, will there be any accountability for potential war crimes?

Six months after the start of the US-Iran war, the question of accountability for potential war crimes looms large. The Trump administration has long claimed immunity from international law, even imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). This aggressive stance has set a dangerous precedent. Six months ago, the US and Israel unilaterally initiated hostilities against Iran, a move legal scholars unanimously deemed a blatant violation of international law, specifically Article 2 of the UN Charter which prohibits the use of force without a Security Council resolution.

Since then, the conduct of the war has been under intense scrutiny. The US has shown no restraint, threatening to destroy critical infrastructure such as bridges, power plants, oil wells, and desalination plants. This brazen disregard for international law is alarming. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has even gone so far as to assert the US military's right to operate without "stupid rules of engagement," a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions which mandate all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties.

A prime example of this disregard is the bombing of a girls' primary school in Minab, Iran. On the first day of the conflict, a guided Tomahawk missile struck the school, killing at least 156 people, including 120 children. This unambiguous violation of the laws of war, which explicitly prohibit attacks on civilian objects and civilians, raises serious questions about US accountability.

The US has not provided a comprehensive explanation for the attack, but there are indications it was a targeted strike on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) buildings, rather than the school itself. However, this raises further questions about the US's failure to take necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties.