UN mission finds grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran, and Tehran crimes against humanity

The United Nations has concluded that the United States may have committed war crimes in Iran during military operations targeting a school and sports facility in February. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran presented its findings to the UN Human Rights Council. The mission also determined that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their violent response to anti-government protests in late December.

The UN experts found "reasonable grounds to believe" that U.S. forces were responsible for an attack on a school in Minab, where over 150 people, including around 120 children, were killed. The mission concluded that the attack was an indiscriminate strike that caused civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, which is considered a war crime under international law. The U.S. did not update its targeting databases and confirmed the building was a military objective, according to the report.

Additionally, the UN mission found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their crackdown on anti-government protests. The investigation revealed unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Rights groups claim that bystanders were among those killed during the largest crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Tehran blamed "terrorists and rioters" backed by exiled opponents and foreign foes, mainly the U.S. and Israel.

The UN experts emphasized that the Iranian government's response to the protests was significantly more violent compared to previous patterns of suppressing dissent. While the official death toll stands at 3,038 and 25,000 injured, the UN mission believes the actual numbers could be much higher.