US suspected of war crimes in Iran, govt repression rising: UN mission

There are "reasonable grounds" to believe the US committed war crimes against civilians in Iran, who also face "gross human rights violations" from their own government, United Nations investigators said on Thursday.

In their latest report, due to be presented to the Human Rights Council on Monday, the independent investigators urged the 47 countries in the council to press for an end to the war, hold those responsible for war crimes to account and give asylum to civilians fleeing abroad.

Neither Iran, Israel nor the United States are members of the Human Rights Council.

"Following the United States and Israeli attacks on February 28, the mission found reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects," the investigators said.

"These included Tomahawk missile strikes on the clearly identifiable Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab -- which killed over 150 people, including approximately 120 girls and boys -- and another airstrike where precision strike missiles dispersed clouds of tungsten pellets over a clearly identifiable sports complex and residential area in Lamerd, killing 22 civilian men and women," they continued.

Their report also said the Iranian government's repression of domestic protests that began in late 2025 over the rising cost of living represented "a significant escalation... of its well-established pattern of suppressing dissent".

It noted the government in Tehran had stepped up the use of "repressive laws", "lethal force" and "the death penalty as a tool of intimidation and control".

State security forces killed protesters in all 31 provinces -- reportedly including at least 221 children, attacked healthcare facilities and arrested tens of thousands of people, it said.

Between March and August 2026, at least 29 men were executed following expedited trials in connection with the protests and more than 70 others, including five women and three boys, remained "at imminent risk of execution", it said.

The UN investigators urged Israel, the US and Iran to "immediately cease hostilities".

They said the countries of the UN human rights council should "take prompt diplomatic action to implement a permanent peace" and ensure that alleged violations of international law -- by all three parties -- were "independently investigated and those responsible held to account".