UN experts say there are reasonable grounds to believe US strikes in Iran may constitute war crimes

UN experts’ findings on US missile strikes

UN human rights experts appointed to the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran have released a report stating there are reasonable grounds to believe that United States forces carried out two missile attacks in February 2026 that resulted in civilian casualties. The report links Tomahawk missiles to the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, where local authorities reported at least 156 deaths, including 120 children, and identifies Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) as the weapon used in a strike on a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd that killed at least 21 civilians, seven of them children. The experts argue that the school and sports complex were clearly identifiable civilian objects and that no evidence shows they were used for military purposes.

Evidence and attribution

The mission’s conclusions rely on media reports, survivor testimony, and the fact that the United States is the only party in the conflict known to possess Tomahawk and PrSM weapons. The experts note that a preliminary US military inquiry reportedly found US forces responsible for the Minab strike, and they cite the absence of any other party capable of deploying the weapons in question. A State Department official is quoted as saying the United States does not consider the report credible, and the US military has denied striking Lamerd while stating it is investigating the Minab incident.

Parallel allegations against Iranian authorities

The same report also addresses the Iranian government’s response to mass anti-government protests in December 2025 and January 2026, describing killings, torture, and widespread arrests as crimes against humanity. The experts say independent verification of the protest death toll is not possible, but they consider the figure of 3,000 deaths reported by Iranian officials to be a significant underestimate.

Unverified aspects

The United States has not released the findings of its own investigation into the Minab strike, and independent verification of weapon types used in Lamerd remains lacking. Iran has not commented on the UN experts’ findings regarding the strikes, though it has previously rejected allegations of systematic human-rights violations. The exact number of civilian casualties in both incidents cannot be independently confirmed at this time.