UN Reveals Alleged US War Crimes in Iran, 120 Children Killed
A United Nations fact-finding mission for Iran has stated it has sufficient grounds to believe that the United States was behind two military attacks on a school and a sports facility in Iran last February. The attacks are assessed to meet the elements of war crimes.
In the latest report to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday (18/09/2026), the mission also concluded that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity while suppressing anti-government demonstrations, which resulted in numerous deaths.
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran examined two primary areas: first, US actions during the Iran war that broke out in February; and second, the Iranian government’s response to the national unrest that began in late December last year.
The Pentagon has declined to comment on the report prepared by the independent organisation. “Our investigation is ongoing, and at this time we have nothing to announce,” the Pentagon stated, as reported by Reuters on Friday (18/09/2026).
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly criticised the report, stating that the UN Human Rights Council has “produced nothing for human rights,” adding that Iran is the only party in the current conflict that has committed war crimes.
US officials previously stated that their country’s military operations were conducted in accordance with the laws of armed conflict. Meanwhile, Iran has consistently denied allegations that its government has engaged in systematic human rights violations.
The UN fact-finding mission is an investigative body, not a judicial institution; therefore, it cannot initiate criminal proceedings. However, its findings may be used in criminal investigations by national courts or international judicial bodies, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). UN member states will discuss the findings when the report is presented at the UN Human Hyper Council session in Geneva next Monday.
Regarding the attack on the school, UN experts found sufficient grounds to believe US forces were responsible for the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School. According to Iranian officials, more than 150 people died in the attack, including approximately 120 schoolchildren.
The mission concluded that the strike was an indiscriminate attack that caused civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure. Under international law, such actions fall under the category of war crimes. The report cited the US failure to update information regarding the school in its targeting database and its failure to ensure the building was a military target, rather than mere negligence.
“Instead, the US directed attacks at the school building despite knowing there was a high risk regarding potential civilian objects and acted recklessly regarding the possibility of such an occurrence,” the report stated. The school is located near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval complex.
In June, US President Donald Trump stated that “no one” intentionally attacked a specific girls’ school in Iran in February, referring to investigations into the incident. Reuters previously reported that an initial internal US military investigation suggested US forces might be responsible for the deadly attack in Minab, southern Iran. The Pentagon subsequently raised the investigation level, but interim results have not yet been published. UN experts stated the targeted school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and found no evidence that the building was used for military purposes.
A similar conclusion was reached regarding the attack on a sports centre in Lamerd. The report stated the attack damaged several residential buildings and a nearby school, killing and injuring 22 civilians. The UN mission stated this attack was also indiscriminate, meeting the criteria for war crimes. However, US Central Command stated in March that US forces did not launch any attacks on Lamerd City on that day.
Beyond highlighting US actions, the UN mission also highlighted the Iranian government’s response to the wave of demonstrations that broke out in late December last year. The investigation found widespread and systematic attacks against civilians by Iranian authorities during the protests. Alleged violations included unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression.
Human rights groups previously stated that numerous people merely present at the locations also died during the crackdown. This wave of suppression is described as the largest since the Shiite Muslim clerics took power through the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The Iranian government blamed “terrorists and rioters” who it claimed were supported by opposition groups in exile and foreign enemies, including the US and Israel.
The UN fact-finding mission stated it could not independently verify the total number of fatalities. However, based on its investigation, the number of deaths and injuries is likely much higher than the official figures provided by the Iranian government. Official data cited in the report stated that 3,038 people were killed and 25,000 others were injured during the wave of demonstrations.