The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 18th September 2026
The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 18th September 2026
The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
A UN fact-finding mission has found reasonable grounds to believe the USA committed war crimes by carrying out indiscriminate strikes on civilian targets in Iran. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran released its findings to the UN Human Rights Council this week, focusing on two strikes it described as “emblematic” of the conflict and involving significant violations of international law.
The first was the 28th February double strike on an elementary school in Minab. The mission said credible information confirmed 157 deaths, including 123 children aged 13 and younger.
Investigators identified the weapon as a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), used only by the Americans during the conflict. Citing evidence including internal Pentagon investigations and Washington’s failure to explain the incident, the mission concluded that the school had been deliberately targeted, apparently on the basis of outdated intelligence.
The site had been part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps compound before 2016, but the school had been separated from the military facility by a wall for more than a decade. Investigators said it was clearly identifiable as a civilian site and found no evidence it was being used for military purposes.
The second incident involved a strike on a sports complex and surrounding residential area in Lamerd, Fars province. Investigators said an American-made missile detonated in the air, dispersing around 180,000 tungsten pellets over a wide area. Twenty-two civilians were killed or injured in the attack that damaged nearby homes and a school.
In both cases, the mission concluded that US conduct went beyond negligence and amounted to the war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in civilian deaths, injuries or damage to civilian property. It said the USA had failed to adequately verify targeting information despite the risk to civilians.
The fact-finding mission separately accused the Iranian authorities of serious violations during their 2025–2026 crackdown on mass protests, concluding that some abuses amounted to crimes against humanity. Trump publicly backed the protesters and offered them American protection, while the Islamic Republic accused the USA of supporting unrest as part of a failed regime-change effort.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for de-escalation in the Middle East and Ukraine at a press conference in New York ahead of this year’s high-level week of the UN General Assembly. “At this crucial moment in he Middle East, de-escalation must be priority one, priority two and priority three,” said Guterres. “All parties must cease any actions that harm civilians and ensure that humanitarian operations can proceed safely and without obstruction.” Navigational rights and freedoms in and around the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab must be fully restored and respected by all, in accordance with international law, he added. “The only path for ward is de-escalation, diplomacy and dialogue. I will continue to press this message in my ongoing contacts with leaders.”
On Ukraine, he said that it is time for an immediate ceasefire as a first step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions. The conflict is in its fifth year, with immense civilian suffering, cascading global consequences and no end in sight. And as for the peace plan for Gaza, he said it must be fully implemented with unrestricted humanitarian aid. And the creeping annexation of the West Bank must stop. “There will be no peace in the Middle East without realising the two-state solution.