A United Nations fact-finding mission has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes during two military strikes on a school and a sports facility in Iran in February. The mission, which is submitting its findings to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, also found that the Iranian government committed crimes against humanity during its crackdown on widespread anti-government protests that began in late December. The investigation looked into the U.S. military's actions during the conflict with Iran that began in February and the Iranian government's response to the protests. The U.S. has maintained that its military operations comply with the law of armed conflict, while Iran has denied allegations of systematic rights violations. The UN experts found that U.S. forces were likely responsible for an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, where more than 150 people, including around 120 schoolchildren, were killed, according to Iranian officials. The mission concluded that this attack was indiscriminate and caused civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, which constitutes a war crime under international law. Investigators said the U.S. relied on intelligence suggesting a senior Iranian military commander was present at the site but failed to verify this information before launching the strike. The failure to confirm the building was a military objective was not just negligence but a reckless disregard for the risk of civilian harm. The report also examined a strike on a sports center in Lamerd, which damaged nearby residential buildings and a school, killing and injuring 22 civilians. The mission concluded the strike was indiscriminate and therefore a war crime. The U.S. Central Command denied responsibility for the strike on Lamerd. Meanwhile, the UN experts found that the Iranian government carried out a widespread and systematic attack on civilians during the protests, involving unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression. The report noted that the government's response, including internet shutdowns and the use of the death penalty, marked a significant escalation in suppressing dissent. The UN mission, led by Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain, was established in 2022 by the UN Human Rights Council. It found "reasonable grounds" to believe the U.S. committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran, including on the school in Minab. The investigation said at least 178 civilians, including women and children, were killed in the attacks. While the U.S. has not directly accepted blame or released findings from a Pentagon investigation into the school bombing, the UN-backed team cited evidence of war crimes over the two strikes, including one involving Tomahawk missiles on a clearly identifiable school and another airstrike on a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd. The mission described the situation as civilians being caught between grave human rights violations by their own government and the conflict with the United States and Israel.