Iran’s Foreign Ministry has accused the United States and Israel of war crimes, alleging that civilian infrastructure including schools, hospitals, and media institutions has been deliberately targeted since the outbreak of hostilities.
Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said in a post on X that more than 160 students were killed when a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab, in Fars Province, was struck on the first day of the conflict. A hospital in the capital Tehran was also reported hit. “The deliberate targeting and destruction of civilian infrastructure, medical facilities, schools, and media institutions by the United States and Israel, with the aim of paralyzing civilian life, constitute blatant war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Baqaei said.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that his organisation was working to verify the reported strike on Gandhi Hospital in Tehran. No confirmation of the hospital’s status had been issued at the time of publication.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) acknowledged the school reports without confirming or denying responsibility. Spokesperson Tim Hawkins said CENTCOM was “aware of reports concerning civilian harm resulting from ongoing military operations” and that the reports were being taken seriously and investigated.
Iran’s war crimes accusations add a significant legal and diplomatic dimension to the conflict, which has already drawn calls for de-escalation from more than ten African states including Ghana and Nigeria. International humanitarian law prohibits deliberate attacks on civilian objects and requires all parties to distinguish between military targets and civilian populations at all times.
Neither the United States nor Israel has formally responded to the war crimes allegations as of Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
