GENEVA: US Iran war crimes allegations intensified Thursday after a UN-appointed mission found reasonable grounds to believe American forces carried out two indiscriminate strikes in Iran.
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran examined attacks on a primary school in Minab and a sports centre in Lamerd. It concluded that both strikes amounted to war crimes under international law.
The mission said U.S. forces likely struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab on February 28. Iranian officials said more than 150 people died, including about 120 schoolchildren.
The report said U.S. planners failed to take all feasible steps to verify that the school was a military objective. Investigators said outdated targeting information contributed to the strike.
The mission reached a similar conclusion about a strike on a sports centre in Lamerd. It said that the attack damaged nearby homes and a school and killed or injured 22 civilians.
However, U.S. Central Command denied striking Lamerd that day. Meanwhile, the Pentagon continued investigating the Minab attack and had not released preliminary findings.
President Donald Trump said in June that nobody intentionally attacked the school. He referred to an investigation and said mistakes can happen.
Read: Minab 168 Flight Carries School Victims’ Memory to Islamabad Talks
The White House rejected the broader UN findings. Spokeswoman Anna Kelly criticised the UN Human Rights Council and accused Iran of committing its own war crimes.
Still, the fact-finding mission is an investigative body, not a court. Therefore, its conclusions do not amount to criminal judgments.
It cited unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and restrictions on expression.
The fact-finding mission is investigative, not judicial.
The mission will present its findings to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The council’s members will then discuss the report and its recommendations.
