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Minab school attack: Human Rights Watch calls for war-crime investigation

Reporting and findings

  1. alleged

    Human Rights Watch's March 7 investigation called the February 28 attack on Minab's Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School unlawful and said it should be investigated as a war crime. Researcher Sophia Jones called for examining whether those responsible should have known the school was occupied. The report had not conclusively attributed the strike to the United States or Israel.

  2. documented

    The White House identified Trump as authorizing Operation Epic Fury against Iran. The connection is to the campaign, not evidence that he personally selected the school as a target.

  3. alleged

    In a March 27 statement to the Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch called for the United States to investigate the Minab attack as a war crime and said it appeared not to have fulfilled its obligation to take all feasible precautions. This was the NGO's assessment, not a UN adjudication.

  4. reported

    AP's reconstruction reports that Airwars identified at least 157 people killed at the Minab school, including 123 children. Airwars' reported injury range was 95–111. These independently assembled counts differ from Iranian official totals.

  5. reported

    Amnesty International's imagery and weapons analysis attributed the February 28 Minab school strike to US forces and assessed that the school was a protected civilian object distinct from the adjacent IRGC compound. It called for accountability and cited a US investigation.

  6. reported

    AP's September 9 onsite reporting described families' losses and a memorial naming 120 students and 26 staff. The US investigation report remained unreleased. This memorial count is not added to the overlapping victim estimates.

Summary and current status

Human Rights Watch identified the February 28 school attack as unlawful and called for investigation as a war crime. Its March 27 statement addressed the United States' apparent failure to take feasible precautions.

Human Rights Watch called for a war-crime investigation

People and organizations

Figures

  1. Airwars minimum Minab civilian deaths157 people
    Calculation details
    Basis
    Observed
    Population
    People killed or injured in the February 28, 2026 Minab school strike, Airwars assessment reported by AP
    Period
    2026-02-28 to 2026-02-28
    Method
    Uses Airwars' lower bound as reported in AP's forensic reconstruction; excludes overlapping Iranian official totals. The previously recorded possible-war-crime assessment is not counted again.
    Uncertainty
    Source-assessed US strike attribution; the US investigation had not publicly concluded in the reporting reviewed. Fatality estimates and injury ranges may be revised.
  2. Minab school civilian-harm incident1 incidents
    Calculation details
    Basis
    Observed
    Population
    People killed or injured in the February 28, 2026 Minab school strike, Airwars assessment reported by AP
    Period
    2026-02-28 to 2026-02-28
    Method
    Uses Airwars' lower bound as reported in AP's forensic reconstruction; excludes overlapping Iranian official totals. The previously recorded possible-war-crime assessment is not counted again.
    Uncertainty
    Source-assessed US strike attribution; the US investigation had not publicly concluded in the reporting reviewed. Fatality estimates and injury ranges may be revised.
  3. Airwars minimum Minab civilian injuries95 people
    Calculation details
    Basis
    Observed
    Population
    People killed or injured in the February 28, 2026 Minab school strike, Airwars assessment reported by AP
    Period
    2026-02-28 to 2026-02-28
    Method
    Uses Airwars' lower bound as reported in AP's forensic reconstruction; excludes overlapping Iranian official totals. The previously recorded possible-war-crime assessment is not counted again.
    Uncertainty
    Source-assessed US strike attribution; the US investigation had not publicly concluded in the reporting reviewed. Fatality estimates and injury ranges may be revised.
  4. Minab school protected-object incident1 incidents
    Calculation details
    Basis
    Observed
    Population
    Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school, Minab, February 28, 2026
    Period
    2026-02-28 to 2026-02-28
    Method
    One school incident with school function, physical separation and legal protection assessed by Amnesty International. School grounds and adjacent military buildings are not counted as multiple protected objects.
    Uncertainty
    Protection and US attribution are attributed source assessments. This observation is distinct from the existing possible-war-crime assessment and is not a court finding.
  5. Minab incident assessed by Human Rights Watch1 incident
    Calculation details
    Basis
    Observed
    Population
    February 28, 2026 Minab primary-school attack
    Period
    2026-02-28 to 2026-02-28
    As of
    2026-03-27
    Method
    Count the school attack once, supported by the March 7 investigation and March 27 NGO legal statement. The concern is unlawful attack and apparent failure to take feasible precautions. Multiple assessments of this incident do not increase the count.
    Uncertainty
    March 7 research did not conclusively identify the attacking state. March 27 HRW statement addresses apparent US precaution failures. This is an attributed assessment, not a court finding or proof of Trump's personal target selection.