The United Nations has released two reports alleging that the United States committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in two separate incidents. The first incident involved an attack on Iran, while the second involved a campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea. The reports have sparked concerns about the US military's actions and its adherence to international humanitarian law. According to the reports, the US attacks resulted in the deaths of civilians, including children.
On February 28, the US armed forces bombed the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary girls' school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, Iran, killing over 160 people, including 123 children under the age of 13. The school was struck by three missiles, and the US military had reportedly labelled it a legitimate military target. However, the site had been converted into a civilian educational site between 2013 and 2016. The attack was found to be a violation of international law, which requires the distinction between civilian objects and military objectives.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran concluded that the US attack on the school was a war crime, and that the Trump administration had shown a "deprioritization" of mitigating harm to civilians. The mission found that the US had acted recklessly, aware of the risk of striking a civilian object. The attack on the school was one of two incidents in which the US military was accused of committing war crimes in Iran.
In addition to the attack on the school, the US military also struck an athletic facility in Lamerd city, Fars Province, killing 22 civilians, including schoolgirls and a 2-year-old girl. The facility was hit by a Precision Strike Missile, and the mission found that the attack constituted a war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in the loss of life or injury to civilians.
The US military has also been accused of committing crimes against humanity in its campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, known as Operation Southern Spear. The Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, Ben Saul, found that the attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 223 people, were "unlawful and intentional under international law." The attacks involved the use of force against designated narco-vessels, which Saul's report found to be "serious extrajudicial killings in violation of the right to life."
Saul's report also found that the US military's actions in the Caribbean did not stem the supply or price of cocaine and instead produced "ballooning effects." The report also criticized the US for ignoring the primary cause of overdose deaths in the US, fentanyl and opioids. Most cocaine is transported on container ships, not small boats, and the report found that the US had not demonstrated an imminent threat to life in the context of these killings.
The reports have sparked calls for the US to conduct impartial and transparent investigations into the killings and to prosecute those responsible. The reports also propose that the US provide remedies and reparation to the victims and their families. However, the outcome of these reports is uncertain, and the US military's actions in these incidents have not been condemned by the US government.
Key points
- The UN reports allege that the US committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in attacks on Iran and alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean.
- The attacks resulted in the deaths of civilians, including children, and were found to be in violation of international humanitarian law.
- The reports have sparked calls for the US to conduct investigations and provide remedies to the victims and their families.
