Trump Weighs Iran Attacks as UN Alleges US War Crimes

President Donald Trump is weighing a decision on whether to resume large-scale attacks to annihilate the Iranian regime ahead of a September 22 meeting with Gulf state leaders. This escalation follows a September 17 report from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, which alleged that U.S. forces committed war crimes during February 28 air strikes in Minab and Lamerd, Iran. The mission found that the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School killed over 150 people, including 120 children, and a strike on a sports center in Lamerd killed or injured 22 civilians.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly dismissed the findings, asserting that only the Iranian regime has committed war crimes. While Trump denied that anyone deliberately attacked a girls' school, the Pentagon has expanded its investigation into the Minab strike. Simultaneously, U.S. Central Command denied carrying out the Lamerd strike. The UN mission also accused Iranian authorities of crimes against humanity, including torture and unlawful killings during anti-government protests, which Iranian officials rejected.

Tensions have further intensified after the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy claimed to strike the oil tanker Trend in the Strait of Hormuz on September 17. In response to Iranian financing, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sanctioned a cryptocurrency exchange linked to Babak Zanjani. Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ruled out deploying troops that would involve Seoul in the conflict.