The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran Monday called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and comply with international humanitarian law following reported US airstrikes that killed and injured civilians in southern Iran. The Mission said that two strikes in Hormozgan province raise serious questions about whether the United States took all necessary precautions to protect civilians during military operations. The Mission has not determined that either strike constituted a war crime, but said the reported civilian deaths require further investigation. On September 1, a reported US airstrike struck a home in Kuhestak during a wedding celebration. Iranian media reported that five people died, including two children and one woman, and that dozens of others suffered injuries. On July 30, another reported US strike destroyed a residential home in Qeshm, reportedly killing a man, a woman and their two-year-old son and injuring their two other children. Both attacks occurred in areas with historically marginalized minority populations, specifically in the Hormozgan province. The Mission identified Kuhestak as predominantly Baloch and Qeshm as predominantly Sunni. It has previously documented structural discrimination and marginalization affecting both of these communities. Mission expert Max du Plessis said, “repeated airstrikes causing civilian casualties raise serious questions about whether all necessary measures are being taken to comply with States’ obligations under international law, including to take all precautionary measures to avoid civilian deaths.” The Mission also warned that violations of these obligations can give rise to international responsibility and, depending on the circumstances, may constitute war crimes. They insist on calling for in-depth investigations into attacks that cause civilian casualties. The Mission’s concerns echo earlier reports of civilian casualties since the beginning of the US-Israeli attacks in February. In March, UN experts condemned a reported missile strike on a girls’ school in Iran that reportedly killed more than 160 children. By March 17, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that more than 1,200 people had been killed in the conflict. The Human Rights Council established the Mission in November 2022 after widespread protests began in Iran following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini. Its original mandate focused on investigating alleged human rights violations connected to the protests, particularly violations affecting women and children. The Council later extended the mandate and instructed the Mission to document, verify, consolidate and preserve evidence of violations for potential future legal proceedings. The Council extended the Mission’s mandate again in January 2026 for two years. Its work now covers recent and ongoing serious human rights violations in Iran. This expanded mandate means that the Mission can examine developments aside from the original 2022 protests, including allegations arising during the current conflict.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran Monday called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and comply with international humanitarian law following reported US airstrikes that killed and injured civilians in southern Iran. The Mission said that tw…
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Analyst Mark Almond argues that Houthi drone strikes on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline and Red Sea shipping routes pose a significant threat to global supply chains. While the Houthis state they are targeting only Saudi forces and their proxies, the article notes that confidence in this limitation is currently low.
A UN fact-finding mission reported having reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces conducted strikes on a school in Iran that officials said killed more than 150 people, while also alleging Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during recent protests.
The report is being submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, and while U.S. officials stated their operations complied with the law of armed conflict, Iran has rejected allegations of systematic rights violations.
UN mission finds grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran GENEVA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - A UN fact-finding mission on Iran said on Thursday it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes.
It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. The findings in a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, examined the US's conduct during the Iran war that began in February and the Iranian government's response to nationwide unrest that begun in late December.
The Iranian and US permanent missions in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. US officials have previously said military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict, while Iran has consistently rejected allegations of systematic rights violations.
Minab school strike The UN experts said they found reasonable grounds to believe US forces were responsible for an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the city of Minab, where more than 150 people were killed, including around 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian officials.
The attack constituted an indiscriminate attack causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law, the mission concluded. According to the report, the US relied on intelligence suggesting a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site but failed to adequately verify the information before launching the strike.
Investigators said the failure to update targeting intelligence and confirm the building was a military objective amounted to more than mere negligence. "Rather, the US directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen.
" In June US President Donald Trump said that "nobody" purposefully attacked a girls' school in Iran in February, citing an investigation into the incident. Reuters first reported that an initial internal U.S. military investigation showed US forces were likely responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran.
The Pentagon has since elevated the probe but it has not published any preliminary findings. UN experts said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. The experts reached a similar conclusion over a strike on a sports centre in Lamerd.
The report said the attack damaged nearby residential buildings and a school and killed and injured 22 civilians. It concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and therefore constituted a war crime. US Central Command said in a statement in March that US forces did not launch any strikes into the city of Lamerd on that day.
Iran abuses The UN mission probe found that the Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians during protests that erupted in late December last year, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and severe restrictions on freedom of expression.
Rights groups say bystanders were among those killed during the biggest crackdown since Shi'ite Muslim clerics took power in the 1979 revolution. Tehran blamed "terrorists and rioters" backed by exiled opponents and foreign foes the US and Israel. The probe said it could not independently verify the death toll, but that it believed the number of dead and injured was likely far higher than official figures which say 3,038 people were killed, and 25,000 people injured.
The government's response to the protests - including violence and killings, cutting off the internet and use of the death penalty, marked a significant escalation from previous patterns of suppressing dissent, the report said.
Analysts suggest that the U.S. may be underestimating the cybersecurity risks associated with ongoing tensions with Iran, particularly regarding vulnerabilities in infrastructure that support military logistics. While Iran possesses fewer advanced cyber capabilities than other state actors, it has employed documented, repeatable techniques aimed at disrupting critical infrastructure and public services to exert pressure on Washington.