UN-backed experts cite possible U.S. war crimes in Iran strikes
The Hindu – International
You are logged in
Loading…
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials,
Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you’ve access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Account Settings
Need help with your subscription?
Weather News September 17, 2026 e-Paper
The View From India
Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.
First Day First Show
News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.
Today's Cache
Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.
Science For All
The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!
Data Point
Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers
THEdge
At the cutting edge of education and careers
Health Matters
Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there
Gender Agenda
Stories from beyond the binary.
The Hindu On Books
Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.
Weather News September 17, 2026 e-Paper
Published – September 17, 2026 05:35 pm IST – Geneva
Iranian state media have said 168 people were killed in the strike, most of them children. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Human rights experts commissioned by the UN's top human rights body say they have found “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States (U.S.) committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran, including on a school in the southern city of Minab.
The international fact-finding mission on Iran says the findings centre on a pair of airstrikes that killed at least 178 civilians, including women and children.
At the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in February, at least one U.S. missile hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, according to an Associated Press investigation. There has been no final accounting of what happened. Iranian state media have said 168 people were killed in the strike, most of them children.
“Following the United States and Israeli attacks on February 28, the mission found reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects,” the fact-finding team said in a statement.
The Trump administration has yet to directly accept the blame or release findings of a Pentagon investigation into the school bombing.
The UN-backed team cited the allegations of war crimes over two strikes — one involving Tomahawk missiles on the “clearly identifiable” school, and another airstrike where precision strike missiles dispersed tungsten pellets over a “clearly identifiable sports complex and residential area” in the southern city of Lamerd, also on February 28.
The UN-backed team said 22 civilian men and women were killed. U.S. Central Command has denied responsibility for the strike on Lamerd.
The team also said that killings by state security forces occurred on a “staggering scale” in Iran, and alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Iranian government.
It said civilians were caught between “gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by their own government and the nation's deadly conflict with the United States and Israel.”
The fact-finding mission on Iran, chaired by jurist Sara Hossain of Bangladesh, is made of of independent experts and was created in 2022 by the Human Rights Council, the UN's top human rights body.
Published – September 17, 2026 05:35 pm IST
Iran
/
United Nations
/
Israel-US strikes on Iran
Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
BACK TO TOP
Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
Fonte: The Hindu – International
