UN Experts: US Strikes on Iran May Amount to War Crimes
UN human rights experts have concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 177 civilians. The findings, released by a UN fact-finding mission, focus on incidents on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran. In one attack, Tomahawk missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the southern town of Minab, hitting what the commission described as a “clearly identifiable” school. Local authorities reported at least 156 people killed, including 120 children. The Iranian government said 168 schoolgirls died, while the UN commission cited independent reports putting the death toll at 157.
The second strike involved Precision Strike Missiles that dispersed tungsten pellets over a “clearly identifiable sports complex and residential area” in the southern city of Lamerd, also on February 28. The UN-backed team said 22 civilian men and women were killed in that attack. The commission emphasized that US forces had not only acted on outdated intelligence but had ordered the strike on the first day of the war despite being aware of a significant risk of hitting a civilian target. This, the experts said, raises serious concerns under international humanitarian law.
Beyond the two strikes, the commission noted that it could not independently verify the death toll from a subsequent crackdown by Iranian authorities, but said there were strong grounds to believe it was significantly higher than the official figure of 3,038. The Tehran government intensified the use of the death penalty, and more than 70 people – including five women and three boys – remain at “imminent risk of execution,” according to the experts. The UN mission’s report underscores the urgent need for accountability and independent investigations into all alleged violations by both sides.
Shimanta Das 
