According to Reuters, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran examined a strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab and another on a sports facility in Lamerd. The findings are due to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The mission said the strike on the Minab school killed more than 150 people, including around 120 children, according to Iranian officials. Investigators concluded that the attack was indiscriminate and caused civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure.
The report said US forces appeared to have relied on intelligence that was not sufficiently accurate or up to date and failed to adequately confirm that the school was a military objective before carrying out the strike.
Investigators said the school was a clearly identifiable civilian facility and found no evidence that it was being used for military purposes. They concluded that the failure to properly verify the target and take feasible precautions to protect civilians raised serious issues under international humanitarian law.
The mission also examined a strike on a sports complex in Lamerd. The attack killed 22 civilians, according to information reviewed by investigators, and also damaged nearby residential buildings and a school. The mission concluded that the strike was indiscriminate and constituted a war crime under international law.
US President Donald Trump had said in June that the attack on the girls' school was not intentional and referred to a US investigation into the incident. The Pentagon said its investigation remains ongoing and that it had no announcement to make at this stage.
The White House rejected the UN findings. Spokesperson Anna Kelly criticised the UN Human Rights Council and said Iran was the only party in the current conflict that had committed war crimes. US officials have previously said American military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict.
UN fact-finding missions are investigative bodies rather than courts and do not themselves initiate criminal cases. Their findings can, however, be used in investigations by national courts or international tribunals.
