US strike on Iranian school violates laws of war: Human Rights Watch

2026-03-14 - 06:54

WASHINGTON – The United States’ missile strike on a school in Iran violated international laws of war, according to the Washington director of Human Rights Watch. Sarah Yager said the findings of an initial investigation into the incident indicate that the US military attack on the school amounted to a breach of the laws governing armed conflict. She said that even if the attackers did not deliberately target a school full of children, the incident cannot simply be dismissed as an error. “The US military has an obligation to take all possible precautions to protect civilians from harm,” Yager said, adding that such precautions appear not to have been adequately taken in this case. According to her, preliminary investigations suggest that the missile strike on a girls’ school in the Iranian city of Minab was likely carried out by US forces. Yager further said the incident underscores the need for reforms and stronger accountability within the US military to ensure better protection of civilians during armed conflicts. She also called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the attack, stressing that measures must be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future and to ensure accountability if violations of international humanitarian law are confirmed.