UN finds US may have committed war crimes in Iran:Report cites girls’ school strike; questions arise over Trump’s accountability

The UN investigation report into the US strikes on Iran in February was released on Thursday. The UN’s independent investigation team said it had reasonable grounds to believe that the US military carried out attacks on a girls’ school and a sports centre in Minab. According to the report, both attacks may constitute war crimes under international law. Russian President Vladimir Putin was also accused of war crimes during the Russia-Ukraine war. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him in 2023. Following the UN report, questions are now also being raised over any personal responsibility of Trump. UN investigates 2 US strikes in Iran First — 120 children killed in attack on Minab girls’ school The UN fact-finding team investigated the attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in the city of Minab. According to Iranian officials, more than 150 people were killed in the attack, including around 120 schoolchildren. The investigation team said the school was a civilian building. It found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. According to the report, the US military had intelligence that a senior Iranian military commander might be present at the school. However, the information was not sufficiently verified before the attack. The UN team said the attack on the school was indiscriminate. Civilians were killed and the civilian building was damaged. Second — 22 civilians killed or injured in sports centre attack The UN report also investigated a second attack on a sports centre in Iran’s Lamerd city. According to the report, nearby residential buildings and a school were damaged in the attack. Twenty-two civilians were killed or injured. The UN team also considered this attack indiscriminate and said it amounted to a war crime. However, US Central Command said in March that the US military had not carried out any attack in Lamerd city that day. What happens now after the UN report? The report is not a court ruling yet. It will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council. Further investigations and calls for action may follow. The US may also be asked why the school was considered a military target and why the intelligence was not properly verified before the attack. Further investigations will establish who made the decision to carry out the attack and what information it was based on. If serious negligence or deliberate action by any official is established, they could face action or prosecution. Will Trump also be held responsible? The UN report accuses the US military of war crimes. However, this does not mean Trump will also be held directly responsible. It will have to be established whether Trump ordered the attack, whether he knew about it and whether he had the information or authority to prevent it. The role of the military officials responsible for the attack will be examined first. Only after that will it be determined whether Trump had any role in it. Serious allegations against Iran’s government too The UN investigation has also made serious allegations about the actions of the Iranian government. According to the investigation team, during a crackdown on anti-government protests that began in late December, Iranian authorities carried out unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances. According to the report, the government shut down the internet to silence protesters and also used the death penalty. The UN team said the actions of Iranian authorities were part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians. The investigation found that these actions may amount to crimes against humanity. ​