UN report: U.S. may have committed war crimes in Iran
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The building of a destroyed primary school is pictured surrounded by rubble in Minab in Iran's Hormozgan province on August 10. Photo: Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. may have committed war crimes in two airstrikes in Iran, including a mass-casualty strike on a school for which Washington has yet to claim responsibility, a UN fact-finding mission said Thursday.
The big picture: The administration has waged a campaign of aggressive, norm-busting war-fighting, with the president repeatedly threatening to hit civilian infrastructure in his pressure campaign on Tehran.
- The president has shrugged off questions about his attacks on Iran and previously said he wasn't concerned if his threats could amount to war crimes.
- The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to Axios' request to respond to the UN team's findings.
What's inside: The UN mission found "reasonable grounds to believe" the U.S. carried out the Feb. 28 strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in southern Iran that reportedly killed more than 120 children.
- Back in May, U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper told the House Armed Services Committee the Minab attack "correlated" with a U.S. strike. And in June, President Trump said "nobody did that on purpose" and that "mistakes are made."
- The UN team found reasonable grounds to believe the U.S. carried out both the school strike and another on a sports center. Both, the UN report said, amount to war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack.
- CENTCOM has denied carrying out the sports center attack.
What they're saying: The "U.S. failed in its obligation to do everything feasible to verify that it was a military objective," the mission's report said of the school strike.
- The mission sought information on the strikes and attempted to meet with U.S. officials but received no response, the report said.
Zoom out: The report further detailed "gross human rights violations" committed by Iran, including those that breached freedom from torture, fair trial and the right to freely assemble, among others.
- It said Iran has announced at least 58 executions since the start of 2026, including 29 men executed in connection with the mass 2025–2026 protests.
- It also concluded the nationwide internet shutdown and communications restrictions unduly restricted the right to seek and receive information.
- "Many gross human rights violations by Iran amount to the crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment and other severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, and other inhumane acts," it read.
What we're watching: The findings come days before world leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly's annual general debate, which begins Tuesday.
Go deeper: Scoop: Trump to hold Iran talks with Gulf leaders next week
