Level 1 — Absolute Beginner

A group from the United Nations studies wars. It is called the Fact Finding Mission. This week, the group shared a new report. The report is about Iran.

On February 28, 2026, a war started between the United States, Israel, and Iran. On that same day, US missiles hit two places in Iran. One place was a school. The other place was a sports hall.

The school was in a city called Minab. Iranian media said 168 people died there. Many of them were children. The sports hall was in a city called Lamerd. A women's volleyball team was inside. At least 21 people died there, and more than 100 people were hurt.

The UN group says these two places were for civilians, not soldiers. They say the US may have broken the rules of war. The UN group also says Iran's government hurt its own people during protests. The White House did not answer questions about the report.

United Nations

A big group of countries that works together to solve world problems.

mission

A team of people sent to do a special job.

report

A written document that gives facts about something.

missile

A weapon that flies through the air and hits a target.

civilian

A person who is not a soldier.

protest

A time when people gather to show they disagree with something.

government

The group of people who run a country.

hurt

To cause pain or injury to someone.

Level 2 — Elementary

The United Nations has a special team that investigates the war involving Iran. This team is called the Independent International Fact Finding Mission on Iran, and a lawyer named Sara Hossain leads it. On September 17, 2026, the team published a new report about the war.

The war between the United States, Israel, and Iran began on February 28, 2026. On that day, the US carried out two airstrikes inside Iran. The first strike hit a school named Shajareh Tayyebeh in the city of Minab. Iranian state media reported that 168 people were killed, and most of them were children.

The second strike hit a sports hall in the city of Lamerd. At the time, a women's volleyball team was using the building. At least 21 people died in that attack, including 4 children, and more than 100 people were injured. In total, the two strikes killed at least 178 civilians.

The UN investigators said both buildings were clearly civilian places, not military targets. They concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed a war crime. The same report also said that Iranian officials committed crimes against humanity when they cracked down on protesters. The White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon did not answer requests for comment.

investigate

To study something carefully to find out the truth.

published

Made public, such as by printing or releasing a report.

airstrike

An attack from the air, usually with missiles or bombs.

civilian

A person who is not part of the military.

reasonable grounds

Enough evidence to believe something is likely true.

war crime

A serious act that breaks the international rules of war.

crimes against humanity

Very serious crimes committed against large groups of people.

crackdown

Strong action taken by a government to stop protests or opposition.

Level 3 — Intermediate

A United Nations fact finding mission investigating the war in Iran has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes during two airstrikes carried out on February 28, 2026, the day the US Israeli war against Iran began. The mission, chaired by the Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain, released its findings on September 17, 2026.

According to the report, a US missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in the southern city of Minab, and Iranian state media said 168 people were killed, most of them children. In a separate incident the same day, a two missile strike hit a sports hall in the city of Lamerd while a women's volleyball team was using the building, killing at least 21 people, including 4 children, and wounding more than 100 others. Together, the mission said, the two strikes killed at least 178 civilians.

Investigators examined both sites and found no evidence that either the school or the sports hall was being used for military purposes, describing them instead as clearly identifiable civilian buildings. On that basis, the mission concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe the US launched indiscriminate attacks resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians, which it classified as a war crime.

The report is not limited to accusations against the United States. It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their violent crackdown on anti government protesters, presenting a more balanced picture of wrongdoing on multiple sides. Neither the White House, the State Department, nor the Pentagon immediately responded to requests for comment, though US officials have previously said military operations were conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict, and US Central Command stated in March 2026 that American forces did not strike Lamerd that day.

jurist

A person who is an expert in law.

indiscriminate attacks

Attacks that do not distinguish between military and civilian targets.

war crime

A violation of the laws that govern armed conflict.

crimes against humanity

Serious offenses committed as part of a widespread attack on civilians.

anti government protesters

People who publicly oppose their government's actions or policies.

law of armed conflict

The international rules that govern how wars may be fought.

wounded

Injured, especially as a result of violence or attack.

chaired

Led or presided over a group or committee.

Level 4 — Advanced

In a report released September 17, 2026, the United Nations Independent International Fact Finding Mission on Iran, chaired by the Bangladeshi jurist Sara Hossain, concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes in two airstrikes carried out on February 28, 2026, the opening day of the US Israeli war against Iran.

The mission's account centers on two nearly simultaneous attacks. A US missile struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in the southern city of Minab, an assault Iranian state media said killed 168 people, most of them children. Almost in parallel, a two missile strike hit a sports hall in Lamerd where a women's volleyball team happened to be using the facility, killing at least 21 people, including 4 children, and injuring upward of 100 more. Cumulatively, investigators attributed at least 178 civilian deaths to the two strikes.

Central to the mission's legal conclusion is its finding that neither building bore any indication of military use. Having found the school and the sports hall to be clearly identifiable civilian objects, the investigators determined there are 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, a formulation drawn directly from international humanitarian law.

The report resists a one sided narrative, also documenting that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their lethal crackdown on anti government protesters, a finding that situates the strikes within a wider accounting of wrongdoing by multiple parties. Washington has offered no substantive rebuttal: the White House, State Department, and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment, though officials have long maintained that US operations comply with the law of armed conflict, and US Central Command asserted in March 2026 that no American strikes were launched into Lamerd that day. The findings land amid mounting congressional pressure, with the House of Representatives voting 220 to 204 on September 15 and 16, 2026, for the third time this year, to direct President Trump to end US military involvement in Iran, even as Trump told reporters on September 16 that he believes the US is toward the end of the war.

jurist

A legal scholar or expert, often one who interprets or develops law.

humanitarian law

The body of international law regulating the conduct of armed conflict.

indiscriminate attacks

Military actions that fail to distinguish between combatants and civilians.

civilian objects

Structures or property not used for military purposes.

crimes against humanity

Grave offenses committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population.

cumulatively