UN Fact-Finding Mission Finds Reasonable Grounds US Committed War Crimes in Iran School Strikes, Iran Committed Crimes Against Humanity in Protest Crackdown

A UN fact-finding mission released a report on September 17 concluding it has reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes in two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their crackdown on anti-government protests. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, chaired by jurist Sara Hossain of Bangladesh, examined US conduct during the Iran war that began in February and the Iranian government's response to nationwide unrest that began in late December. The findings center on a pair of US airstrikes that killed at least 178 civilians, including women and children. At least one US missile hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in the southern city of Minab on February 28, according to an Associated Press investigation, with Iranian state media reporting 168 people killed in the strike, most of them children. The mission found the strikes constituted the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects. The report also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment, torture and other inhumane acts during their response to protests that began on December 28, 2025. The findings in the new report, to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, are not binding but add to international evidence gathered about crimes in the Iran war and could eventually be used in efforts to reach justice in international courts. Neither the Iranian nor US permanent missions in Geneva immediately responded to requests for comment. The report was released as President Trump stated on September 16 that he has heard from Iran directly and hopes the war is nearing an end, though he did not elaborate on the nature of the contact.