17-09-2026
A United Nations-backed independent fact-finding mission has concluded that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran during the war that began in February 2026. The report identifies an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab as an indiscriminate strike that killed more than 150 people, including approximately 120 children, and damaged civilian infrastructure. Investigators said US forces relied on intelligence indicating that a senior Iranian military commander was at the school but failed to adequately verify or update the information. They found no evidence that the school was being used for military purposes and concluded that the strike was carried out recklessly despite a substantial risk to civilians.
The mission reached a similar conclusion about a strike on a sports centre in Lamerd, which reportedly damaged nearby homes and a school and killed or injured 22 civilians. The United States has not accepted direct responsibility for the Minab attack or published the findings of a Pentagon investigation. US Central Command has denied conducting strikes in Lamerd on the day the sports centre was bombed.
The report also accuses Iranian authorities of crimes against humanity during a nationwide crackdown on anti-government protests that began in late December. Alleged abuses included unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, internet shutdowns, restrictions on freedom of expression and use of the death penalty. The mission said killings by security forces occurred on a “staggering scale” and that the official toll of 3,038 deaths and 25,000 injuries was likely substantially lower than the true figures.
The report is being submitted to the UN Human Rights Council. Iran and the United States had not immediately responded to requests for comment, although both have previously rejected or disputed allegations of wrongdoing.
Entities: United States, Iran, Minab, Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School, Lamerd • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
17-09-2026
UN-appointed human rights experts say there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes on civilian sites in Iran on 28 February. The strikes hit a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd, killing at least 177 civilians, including at least 120 children. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran concluded that both locations were clearly identifiable as civilian facilities and found no evidence that they were being used for military purposes. It also said the school was likely the intended target, rather than the site being damaged accidentally or as collateral damage from a nearby attack on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility.
The experts attributed the strikes to the US partly because the United States was the only party in the conflict known to possess the Tomahawk and PrSM missiles believed to have been used. Washington has denied carrying out the Lamerd attack, disputed the weapon identification, and said it was investigating the Minab strike. A State Department official rejected the report’s findings, while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military would never deliberately target civilians.
The report also accused Iranian authorities of crimes against humanity during the suppression of mass protests in December 2025 and January 2026. The experts described widespread killings, shootings of protesters from elevated positions, severe injuries, attacks on medical facilities, mass arrests, torture, denial of legal counsel, and executions after expedited trials. They said the death toll was likely much higher than the official figure of 3,000, although it could not be independently verified. The report concluded that the repression amounted to murder, imprisonment, torture and other inhumane acts as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians. Both the US and Iranian governments have rejected or disputed the allegations against them.
Entities: United States, Iran, Israel, Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, UN Human Rights Council • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
17-09-2026
A United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe U.S. forces carried out two February strikes in Iran that amounted to war crimes. One strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, killing more than 150 people, including approximately 120 children, according to Iranian officials. The mission said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian site and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. It characterized the attack as indiscriminate and said the United States acted recklessly despite a substantial risk of striking civilians.
The report also examined a strike on a sports centre in Lamerd. That attack damaged nearby homes and a school and killed or injured 22 civilians. The UN mission similarly deemed it indiscriminate, although U.S. Central Command has said American forces did not conduct strikes in Lamerd that day. The U.S. government has not accepted responsibility for either incident. The White House rejected the report, accusing Iran of being the only party in the conflict to have committed war crimes and citing Iran’s treatment of its own population and attacks in the region.
The mission also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a nationwide crackdown on anti-government protests that began in late December. It cited unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, severe restrictions on expression, internet shutdowns and executions. Although the mission could not independently verify the death toll, it said official figures of 3,038 deaths and 25,000 injuries likely understated the true numbers. The report will be presented to the 47-member UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Both Iranian and U.S. missions had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
Entities: United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, United Nations Human Rights Council, United States, Iran, Sara Hossain • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
17-09-2026
Human rights experts commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council say there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two airstrikes in Iran on Feb. 28. The allegations concern attacks in Minab and Lamerd that reportedly killed dozens of civilians.
The first strike hit a school in Minab, southern Iran, where Iranian officials and state media said approximately 170 people were killed, most of them girls between 7 and 12 years old. A preliminary U.S. assessment reportedly found that the United States was likely responsible, but concluded that the school was not intentionally targeted. The strike may have resulted from outdated intelligence that incorrectly identified the location as part of an Iranian military installation. The Trump administration has not formally acknowledged responsibility or released the findings of a Pentagon investigation. The U.S. attack reportedly involved Tomahawk missiles.
The U.N.-backed fact-finding mission said the school was clearly identifiable and that the strike appeared to constitute an indiscriminate attack causing civilian deaths and damage to a civilian object. The mission also attributed alleged war crimes to the United States in connection with a strike in Lamerd, where tungsten pellets were dispersed over a sports complex and residential area. The team said 22 civilian men and women were killed, although U.S. Central Command has denied responsibility.
The mission additionally accused Iranian security forces of killings on a “staggering scale” during a January crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests, saying the actions could amount to crimes against humanity. The report’s chair, Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain, leads an independent panel created in 2022. The mission said Iranian civilians were trapped between abuses by their own government and the continuing conflict involving the United States and Israel.
Entities: United Nations Human Rights Council, International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, United States, Iran, Israel • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
17-09-2026
A U.N.-commissioned fact-finding mission says there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two airstrikes in Iran on Feb. 28, including an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab. The experts concluded that the school itself was the intended target, rather than an unintended casualty of a strike on a nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard compound. Iranian state media reported that 168 people, mostly children, were killed, while the mission said the two U.S. strikes killed at least 178 civilians in total.
The second alleged U.S. war crime involved Precision Strike Missiles that dispersed tungsten pellets over a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd, killing 22 civilian men and women. U.S. Central Command has denied responsibility for that attack. The Pentagon has not released its investigation into the school strike, and the Trump administration has not directly acknowledged responsibility.
The report, produced by an independent mission chaired by Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain, is not legally binding but could become part of evidence used in future international justice proceedings. The mission relied on interviews with 73 people, satellite imagery, photographs, videos, documents and information from credible organizations and experts. Its investigation was limited by the ongoing conflict, displacement, an internet shutdown and the failure of both governments to fully cooperate.
The experts also accused Iran’s government of crimes against humanity. They described killings and other abuses by security forces as occurring on a “staggering scale,” citing shootings of protesters, beatings, arrests of healthcare workers, torture, denial of legal counsel and intensified use of the death penalty. More than 70 people, including women and children, were said to face imminent execution.
The mission called on both the United States and Iran to stop violating human rights and to provide full reparations to victims. The White House rejected the findings, calling the U.N. human rights body unserious and asserting that Iran was the only party in the conflict to have committed war crimes.
Entities: United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, U.N. Human Rights Council, United States, Iran, Sara Hossain • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
17-09-2026
A United Nations-backed fact-finding mission has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States carried out two military strikes against civilian-related sites in Iran in February. The strikes targeted a school and a sports facility, and the mission said the attacks constituted war crimes. The findings are contained in a report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, which is scheduled to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The report examined events connected to the Iran war, which began in February, as well as the Iranian government’s response to nationwide unrest that started in late December. In addition to assessing US military conduct, the investigators accused Iranian authorities of committing crimes against humanity during a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
The mission’s conclusions therefore implicate both sides of the conflict: the United States over alleged unlawful strikes during the war and Iran over its treatment of protesters during domestic unrest. The report uses the standard of having “reasonable grounds to believe” that the United States was responsible for the attacks, while classifying the strikes as war crimes.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the report, describing it indirectly through the article as an investigation conducted by an outside organization. The findings are presented as part of the UN mission’s broader examination of violations in Iran, covering both international military action and the Iranian authorities’ internal security response. The article reports the mission’s allegations without providing a response from the Iranian government or additional detail about the circumstances, casualties, or legal basis of the strikes.
Entities: United Nations, Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, United States, Iran, Iranian government • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
17-09-2026
United Nations investigators say there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that the United States committed war crimes during attacks on Iran, including an alleged indiscriminate strike that killed or injured civilians and damaged civilian objects. The findings are contained in the investigators’ latest report, which is scheduled to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.
The report focuses on US and Israeli attacks launched on February 28. Investigators specifically cited an attack on a school in Iran that reportedly killed more than 150 people, although the supplied article does not provide further details about the incident or the evidence collected. They said the alleged conduct could constitute the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks against civilians.
The investigators urged the Human Rights Council’s 47 member countries to push for an end to the war, ensure that those responsible for alleged war crimes are held accountable, and provide asylum to civilians fleeing Iran. Iran, Israel and the United States are not members of the Human Rights Council.
At the same time, the UN investigators accused Iran’s government of committing serious human rights violations against its own population. They said Tehran had increased its use of “repressive laws” and “lethal force” to suppress protests linked to rising living costs. The article therefore presents violations by both foreign military forces and Iran’s government, while emphasizing the consequences for civilians.
The report’s conclusions are presented as preliminary findings by independent investigators, who say there are reasonable grounds for their allegations. The article does not include responses from the United States, Israel or Iran, nor does it describe any legal proceedings that have begun.
Entities: United Nations investigators, United States, Iran, Israel, UN Human Rights Council • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
17-09-2026
A UN-backed fact-finding mission has concluded that Iran’s response to the 2025–2026 nationwide protests involved widespread and systematic violations that amounted to crimes against humanity. In its report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran documented killings, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, enforced-disappearance concerns and other inhumane acts across all 31 Iranian provinces.
The report says security forces fired assault rifles into crowds from rooftops and other elevated positions, used tear gas to trap protesters in narrow streets, and caused severe injuries with metal shotgun pellets. At least 221 children were reportedly killed, including some as young as two. Security forces also raided healthcare facilities, assaulted and detained wounded protesters, and arrested healthcare workers, discouraging victims from seeking medical treatment.
Iran also imposed a nationwide communications and internet blackout beginning January 8 that lasted more than five months. The mission described it as the longest nationwide shutdown on record and said it obstructed access to information and emergency coordination. Tens of thousands were reportedly arrested, with detainees subjected to torture, solitary confinement and denial of legal counsel. Authorities allegedly withheld bodies, demanded payments from families and pressured relatives to sign false statements.
The report further found that at least 29 men were executed after expedited trials between March and August 2026, while more than 70 people—including women and boys—remained at imminent risk of execution.
Separately, the mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes in two air strikes conducted during the conflict involving Iran and Israel. The strikes reportedly killed at least 178 civilians, including children, at a primary school in Minab and a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd. The UN called on Iran and the US to end violations, compensate victims, prevent recurrence and pursue diplomatic efforts toward peace and accountability.
Entities: Iran, Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, United Nations Human Rights Council, 2025–2026 Iranian protests, Crimes against humanity • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
17-09-2026
The article provides live updates on the ongoing six-and-a-half-month Iran war and its wider regional consequences. A U.N.-commissioned panel of human rights experts said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 178 civilians. The report adds significant legal and humanitarian pressure to the conflict, while President Trump again claimed that Iran wants to negotiate an agreement to end the war.
Regional hostilities continued to spread. Saudi Arabia said one person was killed and two injured by shrapnel from an intercepted Houthi drone in Taif governorate. Saudi officials accused the Iran-backed Houthis of targeting Mecca, but the group denied the allegation. Fighting also intensified in Yemen near the Kahboub mountains and the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major route for global oil and gas shipments. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said they had repelled a Houthi attack, while Houthi media reported Saudi airstrikes that caused casualties and damaged telecommunications infrastructure.
Diplomatic efforts focused on Lebanon, where the presidents of Lebanon and France and Jordan’s king discussed security in southern Lebanon and plans for an international presence after the U.N. peacekeeping mission UNIFIL’s mandate expires. Lebanon’s military remains caught between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, and a framework for Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah disarmament has stalled.
Oil prices fell for a second day after U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said a damaged Saudi pipeline should resume operations relatively soon. Brent crude declined to roughly $103.50 per barrel, although the war has sharply reduced oil flows through the Persian Gulf and fighting threatens other critical waterways. Trump is also expected to meet Gulf leaders at the U.N. General Assembly to discuss postwar planning, despite no confirmed agreement with Iran.
Entities: Iran war, United States, Iran, Donald Trump, U.N.-commissioned human rights panel • Tone: urgent • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
