Iran school bombing: grounds to believe US was behind atrocity, UN finds | US-Israel war on Iran | The Guardian

Skip to main contentSkip to navigationClose dialogue1/2Next imagePrevious imageToggle captionPrint subscriptionsNewsletters Sign inUSUS editionUK editionAustralia editionEurope editionInternational editionThe Guardian - Back to homeThe GuardianNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleShow moreHide expanded menuNewsView all NewsUS newsUS politicsMidterms 2026World newsClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineUS immigrationSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersThe FilterWellnessOpinionView all OpinionThe Guardian viewColumnistsLettersOpinion videosCartoonsSportView all SportSoccerNFLTennisMLBMLSNBAWNBANHLF1GolfCultureView all CultureFilmBooksMusicArt & designTV & radioStageClassicalGamesDesign a better worldLifestyleView all LifestyleThe FilterWellnessFashionFoodRecipesLove & sexHome & gardenHealth & fitnessFamilyTravelMoneySearch input google-search SearchSupport usPrint subscriptionsNewslettersDownload the appSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingLive eventsAbout UsThe Guardian appVideoPodcastsPicturesInside the GuardianGuardian WeeklyCrosswordsWordiplyCorrectionsTipsSearch input google-search SearchSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingLive eventsAbout UsUS newsUS politicsMidterms 2026WorldClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineUS immigrationSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersThe FilterWellness A man who lost his son in the school strike in February at the site of the atrocity in Minab, Iran, in August. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/ReutersView image in fullscreenA man who lost his son in the school strike in February at the site of the atrocity in Minab, Iran, in August. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/ReutersUS-Israel war on IranIran school bombing: grounds to believe US was behind atrocity, UN findsFact-finding mission says military strikes on school and sports facility in ⁠February constitute war ⁠crimesReuters in GenevaThu 17 Sep 2026 05.05 EDTLast modified on Thu 17 Sep 2026 07.22 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleA UN fact-finding mission on Iran has said there are reasonable grounds to believe the US was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in ⁠February, and that these constituted war ⁠crimes.It also found Iranian ​authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.The findings 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.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.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.It constituted an indiscriminate attack causing civilian deaths and damage to ‌civilian infrastructure, amounting to a war crime under international law, the mission concluded.View image in fullscreenA rubble-strewn classroom at Shajareh Tayyebeh school. Photograph: Vahid Salemi/APAccording 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 the 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 US military investigation showed US forces were probably responsible for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran.The Pentagon has since elevated ​the inquiry but it has not published any preliminary findings.Four months after the horrific Iran school bombing, fears grow that Trump and Hegseth will bury the truthRead moreUN experts said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian object and found no evidence 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.The UN mission 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 Shia 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 investigation said it could not independently verify the death toll, but that it believed the number of dead and injured was probably 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.Explore more on these topicsUS-Israel war on IranIranMiddle East and north AfricaUS militaryUnited NationsWar crimesUS foreign policynewsShareReuse this contentMore on this storyMore on this storyGulf states postpone strait of Hormuz talks with Iran as Yemen conflict intensifies3d agoSaudi Arabia shuts down key oil pipeline, blaming drones from Iraq5d agoIran claims to have attacked 10 ships near strait of Hormuz after US strikes9 Sept 2026South Korea pushes back on reports it is readying Hormuz deployment amid US pressure4 Sept 2026‘Unimaginable grief’: Iranian town left devastated after US strike on wedding 4 Sept 2026Iran targets US bases as Israel warns sanctions could drive Tehran to ‘desperate steps’3 Sept 2026Iran accuses US of ‘war crime’ after missile blast kills four people at wedding2 Sept 2026‘It’s a fever dream right now’: sailors of USS Abraham Lincoln voice joy after arriving in Thailand2 Sept 2026Trump threatens further action as US and Iran exchange fire in new flare-up31 Aug 2026Most viewedMost viewedUS newsUS politicsMidterms 2026WorldClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineUS immigrationSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersThe FilterWellnessNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleOriginal reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morningSign up for our emailAbout usHelpComplaints & correctionsContact usTip us offSecureDropPrivacy policyCookie policyTax strategyTerms & conditionsAll topicsAll writersNewslettersDigital newspaper archiveBlueskyFacebookInstagramLinkedInThreadsTikTokYouTubeAdvertise with usGuardian LabsSearch jobsWork with usAccessibility settings Back to top© 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)

A United Nations fact-finding mission examining the US conduct during the war in Iran has determined that there are reasonable grounds to believe US forces were responsible for military strikes on a school and a sports facility in Iran during February, which the mission concluded constituted war crimes under international law. The investigation also found that Iranian authorities perpetrated crimes against humanity during their violent crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests that began in late December.

The mission's findings reviewed both the US's actions during the conflict and the Iranian government's response to widespread unrest. Regarding the military strikes, investigators determined that US forces were responsible for an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, where over 150 people were killed, including approximately 120 schoolchildren according to Iranian officials. The mission determined that this strike constituted an indiscriminate attack that resulted in civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, meeting the criteria for a war crime. The fact-finding mission noted that the US relied on intelligence suggesting the presence of a senior military commander at the site but failed to adequately verify this information before initiating the strike, leading investigators to conclude that the failure to update targeting intelligence and confirm the building was a military objective amounted to more than mere negligence. Furthermore, the experts found no evidence that the school was being used for military purposes, concluding that it was a clearly identifiable civilian object. A similar assessment was made regarding a strike on a sports center in Lamerd, where the attack resulted in the death and injury of 22 civilians and damage to nearby residential buildings and a school, leading the mission to also classify that strike as indiscriminate and a war crime.

In addition to examining the military operations, the mission assessed the Iranian government's actions against its populace. The report indicated that Iranian authorities carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians during the protests, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Rights groups noted that bystanders were among those killed during this crackdown, which represented the largest suppression of dissent since the Shia Muslim clerics assumed power in the 1979 revolution. While the investigation could not independently verify the exact number of fatalities, the mission believed the actual number of dead and injured was likely significantly higher than official figures, which reported 3,038 deaths and 25,000 injuries. The report further documented that the government’s response, which included violence, killings, internet shutdowns, and the use of the death penalty, marked a significant escalation in methods used to suppress dissent compared to previous patterns of suppressing opposition.