In the same report, released Monday, investigators found that the Iranian Government committed crimes against humanity by murdering, imprisoning and torturing those who participated in the 2025-2026 protests.
The Fact-Finding Mission on Iran – whose investigators do not receive a salary for their work – linked the allegations in a press release on Thursday noting that civilians in Iran are increasingly caught between their Government’s violent crackdowns on protests and deadly airstrikes by US and Israeli forces.
Civilians ‘clearly identifiable’
Amid the ongoing war pitting the US and Israel against Iran, the Fact-Finding Mission reported that the US launched “indiscriminate attacks” against two “clearly identifiable” civilian targets: a primary school in Minab as the US-Israeli attacks got underway – and a sports complex and residential area in Lamerd.
Under international law, armed forces may not intentionally attack civilian targets or attack military targets if those strikes could cause incidental harm to civilians.
On 28 February, the US struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, killing 157 people, including 123 children. Despite the school being located near an Iranian naval base, the investigators found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes.
“The Mission finds reasonable grounds to believe that the US committed the war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects,” the report reads.
The same day, an airstrike hit a sports centre in Lamerd, killing 22 civilians and injuring more than 100 others, according to local officials.
The Mission again found evidence suggesting that the US carried out the attack and said the type of missile used in the attack is imprecise and “could not be directed at a specific military objective.”
In the report, the experts urged both Iran and the US to provide relief to Iranian civilians, which could include guaranteeing that they will not repeat the same alleged crimes and granting reparations to those harmed.
Violent crackdown
The protests that began in December 2025 evolved from “a reaction to mounting economic grievances into calls for political change,” investigators said. They quickly spread to all of Iran’s 31 provinces and more than 200 cities and remain ongoing.
In response, the Government shut down the internet and mobile communications – making it difficult for civilians to call for medical assistance – while security forces used lethal ammunition against protestors and bystanders, including children.
At least 221 children were reportedly killed in the crackdowns, the experts said.
“The violent suppression of the 2025-2026 protests went beyond a simple continuation of familiar patterns and represented a marked escalation in the use of lethal force and mass arrests,” the report reads.
Security forces also attacked healthcare facilities, beating and arresting wounded protestors and arresting some healthcare workers, deterring others from receiving medical care, the report found. In some cases, Government officials also demanded payment in exchange for releasing victims’ bodies.
Undercount
Iran officially reports 3,038 people killed by security forces and 25,000 more injured, but the Fact-Finding Mission “has strong grounds to believe that the true figures for deaths and injuries are significantly higher.”
Between March and August, at least 29 men were executed following expedited trials in connection with the protests, the experts reported.
Many of these human rights violations – including the murder, imprisonment and torture of protestors – amount to crimes against humanity, according to the experts.
“The Mission reiterates its previous recommendations to the Government of Iran, which regrettably have not been implemented to date,” the report reads. “It urges all Member States to engage diplomatically with Iran to ensure implementation of these recommendations.”
Calls for peace, justice
The independent experts – who are not UN staff and do not represent any organization – reiterated the UN’s call to all combatants to immediately cease hostilities and work towards a permanent peace.
“They should also ensure that allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by all parties are independently investigated and those responsible held to account,” the report reads.
