UN Mission: US Strike on Iranian School May Constitute War Crimes
A United Nations fact-finding mission has concluded that the US airstrike on a primary school in Minab, Iran, may amount to a war crime, according to a report released this week. The attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School occurred on February 28, the first day of the US- and Israel-launched war against Iran, and killed over 150 people, including approximately 120 children. While Iranian authorities put the death toll at 168 schoolgirls, the UN commission cited independent reports estimating 157 deaths. The mission found that US forces acted on outdated intelligence and ordered the strike despite being aware of a significant risk of hitting a civilian target.
“The Mission concluded that when identifying and directing its attack against the primary school in Minab, whose civilian nature is apparent, the US failed in its obligation to do everything feasible to verify that it was a military objective,” the report stated. This failure to take precautions, the commission suggested, could constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. The strike is one of the deadliest single incidents in a conflict that has produced a significant civilian toll, with at least 2,100 people killed across the region by late April. The UN mission also noted reasonable grounds to believe that the overall death toll is significantly higher than the Iranian government’s figure of 3,038.
The war has deeply divided Iranians abroad, with diaspora communities split over support for or opposition to the military action. Tehran claims the majority of deaths occurred due to “rioters” during protests backed by exiled opponents and the US and Israel. Meanwhile, former President Trump has again urged the Iranian public to resist their government, asking, “When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?” The UN report’s findings add to mounting concerns over the conduct of the war and the protection of civilians, particularly children, in conflict zones.
Shimanta Das 
