# U.N. says U.S. strikes in Iran may be war crimes

> A U.N. report accuses the U.S. of striking civilian targets including a school that killed over 150 people, while also finding Iran committed crimes against humanity.
- Title: U.N. says U.S. strikes in Iran may be war crimes · TIME
- Summary: A U.N. report accuses the U.S. of striking civilian targets including a school that killed over 150 people, while also finding Iran committed crimes against…
- Keywords: united nations, war crimes, iran, united states, minab school strike, civilian casualties, tomahawk missiles, lamerd strike, trump administration, human rights council, crimes against humanity, iran protests crackdown
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/09/18/us-iran-israel-war-crimes-strike-minab-school-un-report
- Author: Miranda Jeyaretnam
- Published: 2026-09-18T10:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: united nations, war crimes, iran, united states, minab school strike, civilian casualties, tomahawk missiles, lamerd strike, trump administration, human rights council, crimes against humanity, iran protests crackdown
## U.N. accuses U.S. of war crimes
A U.N. fact-finding mission found reasonable grounds that the U.S. committed war crimes by launching indiscriminate attacks that killed or injured civilians in Iran.
## School strike killed 150 people
U.S. Tomahawk missiles hit Tree of Tayyiba Elementary School in Minab on February 28, killing more than 150 people, including 120 children.
## Tungsten pellets scattered over city
An alleged U.S. missile strike dispersed tens of thousands of tungsten pellets over a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd, killing 22 civilians.
## U.S. knew of civilian risk
The U.N. said the U.S. failed to update targeting databases and verify the school was a military target, acting recklessly despite knowing the substantial risk of hitting civilians.

> The U.S. 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.
## War stretched to seven months
U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began February 28 and have continued for seven months, killing at least 2,100 people across the region by late April.
## Over 1,700 Iranian civilians killed
Human rights groups estimate more than 1,700 Iranian civilians were killed by late April, including more than 1,000 in the first five days of bombing, plus health care workers and journalists.
## Trump threatened infrastructure strikes
President Trump repeatedly threatened attacks on Iranian bridges and power plants, then carried out strikes on bridges and electrical infrastructure in July.
## Wedding strike killed five people
An apparent U.S. strike hit a wedding celebration in Kuhestak on September 1, killing five people and wounding more than 60, though Washington has not accepted responsibility.
## Pentagon investigating school strike
The Pentagon launched a formal investigation into the Minab school strike in March, with a U.S. official saying it likely resulted from outdated target coordinates supplied by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
## U.S. denies Lamerd strike occurred
U.S. Central Command refuted claims it struck Lamerd, saying U.S. forces did not launch strikes in the city or within 30 miles on February 28.
## Trump administration rejects report
The State Department said it did not consider the U.N. report credible. The Trump administration withdrew from the Human Rights Council in February 2025 over what it called anti-American rhetoric.
## Iran committed crimes against humanity
The U.N. also found grounds to believe Iran committed crimes against humanity during a violent crackdown on protests, with security forces killing 3,038 people and injuring 25,000.
## 221 children killed in crackdown
At least 221 children, including two two-year-olds, were killed during Iran's crackdown on mass protests beginning in late December, the U.N. report said.
## Key takeaway

The U.N. found reasonable grounds that the U.S. committed war crimes by hitting an elementary school in Minab with over 150 deaths, while the Trump administration rejected the report's credibility.