Independent UN mission cites reasonable grounds while Washington rejects the findings.
An independent United Nations investigation into the war in Iran has raised serious legal questions over two US strikes, while also accusing Iranian authorities of crimes against humanity during their response to domestic protests.
UN Mission Cites Reasonable Grounds
Experts from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that the United States committed war crimes in two attacks in Iran on February 28, 2026. The mission, created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 and led by legal expert Sara Hossain, examined US actions during the war as well as the Iranian government’s response to nationwide unrest. Its findings are not legally binding and do not constitute a court judgment.
Minab School Strike Under Scrutiny
One finding concerned a Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab. The UN experts described the school as clearly identifiable as a civilian facility and said they found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. Iranian officials said more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren. The mission concluded that the attack appeared indiscriminate and, in its assessment, amounted to a war crime under international law.
Lamerd Attack Also Examined
The mission also assessed a strike on a sports center in Lamerd in southern Iran, where a precision missile allegedly dispersed tungsten fragments over a sports complex and surrounding residential area. The report said nearby homes and a school were damaged and 22 civilians were killed or injured. The UN experts assessed the strike as indiscriminate. However, US Central Command previously denied carrying out an attack in Lamerd on that date, leaving a direct dispute over responsibility.
Washington Rejects the Findings
The Pentagon declined to comment in detail, saying its own investigation was still ongoing. The White House rejected the UN findings more forcefully, with spokesperson Anna Kelly arguing that Iran, not the United States, had committed war crimes during the conflict. The UN mission said its work was based on interviews with 73 people, satellite imagery, photographs, videos, documents, and information from organizations and experts it considered credible, while also noting that limited cooperation from both the US and Iranian governments hindered the investigation.
Iran Also Accused of Crimes Against Humanity
The same UN investigation accused Iranian authorities of widespread and systematic attacks against civilians during protests that began in late December, including alleged extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. The mission said it could not independently verify the full casualty count but believed the number of people killed and injured was likely higher than official figures of 3,038 deaths and 25,000 injuries. It called on both the United States and Iran to end violations and provide reparations to victims.
For Indonesian and Singaporean readers following the conflict, the key distinction is that the UN mission reported reasonable grounds to believe violations occurred, but its findings are not a criminal court verdict. The report also directs serious allegations at both the United States and Iranian authorities, keeping accountability and civilian protection at the center of international scrutiny.
Sources: Batampos (2026) , Detik (2026)
Keywords: US Iran War Crimes, UN Iran Investigation, Minab School Strike, Lamerd Strike, UN Fact Finding Mission, Iran Human Rights
