Deadly US strike on Iran school may have been a war crime, UN report finds

A United Nations report has concluded that two deadly U.S. strikes on Iran during the early stages of the war may have constituted war crimes, including one that targeted an elementary school. The report by the independent investigators also implicated Iran in potential crimes against humanity during its crackdown on government protesters. The findings could potentially be utilized by international courts, such as the International Criminal Court.

The school strike in the southern city of Minab resulted in the deaths of at least 156 people, including 120 children and 26 teachers. While there have been slight discrepancies in the reported death toll, the incident is considered one of the worst civilian casualty events in recent U.S. military history. The investigators found "reasonable grounds to believe" that the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks, resulting in civilian casualties or damage to civilian objects.

In a statement, a White House spokeswoman accused the Iranian regime of committing war crimes, including the murder of thousands of its own people, killing Americans overseas, and executing acts of terrorism. The President, according to the spokeswoman, is determined to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon, which would make the world safer and more stable.

The U.S. State Department did not find the report credible and cited President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council in February 2025. The Department of Defense declined to comment, stating that an investigation was ongoing. Early evidence suggests the military may have accidentally hit the school due to outdated intelligence, as it targeted a neighboring Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base.

The UN fact-finding mission's report also examined Iran's repression of anti-government protesters in late 2025 and early 2026, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the torture and "disappearance" of detainees without notifying their families. The investigators described these actions as "gross violations" amounting to crimes against humanity.

They requested unhindered access to Iran, which the Iranian government did not grant, responding to only about a quarter of their information requests and requests for meetings with US and Israeli government officials.