U.N. Experts See Possible U.S. War Crimes in Iran as Economic and Regional Fallout Widens
WASHINGTON — A United Nations-commissioned panel of human rights experts said Thursday that there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran, including an attack on a school in the southern city of Minab. The finding came as the broader U.S.-Iran war continued to reshape energy markets, regional alliances and civilian life from Iran to Yemen.
The international fact-finding mission on Iran said its conclusions centered on a pair of airstrikes that killed at least 178 civilians, including women and children. The panel said the strikes amounted to indiscriminate attacks resulting in loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects.
The first incident cited was the Feb. 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab. Iranian state media said 168 people were killed, most of them children. U.S. sources told CBS News in March that the United States was likely responsible but did not intentionally target the school, possibly because dated intelligence wrongly identified the area as part of an Iranian military installation. The second incident involved precision missiles that scattered tungsten pellets over a clearly identifiable sports complex and residential area in Lamerd, also on Feb. 28.
The White House and U.S. military did not immediately respond to the war crimes claim. U.S. Central Command has repeatedly rejected similar accusations, saying American forces never target civilians and accusing Iranian forces of doing so regularly.
The report also said killings by Iranian state security forces occurred on a staggering scale inside Iran.
Oil prices swing as pipeline repair offers relief
Crude oil prices fell for a second day Thursday after U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said a damaged Saudi oil pipeline should be running again relatively soon. Brent crude, the international benchmark, slipped to about $103.50 a barrel, down from $105 Wednesday and $108 Tuesday.
The East-West Crude Oil Pipeline is a critical workaround for Saudi Arabia, allowing it to move oil and gas without relying on the Strait of Hormuz. It was shut last week after drone strikes that Saudi officials blamed on Iran-backed proxy groups based in Iraq. Wright said three pumping stations were hit and that damage assessments were continuing.
Wright said 18 million barrels of oil and oil products moved through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday with U.S. military protection, and he said the seven-day running average stood at about 11 million barrels a day of crude and refined products. Before the war, about 18 million barrels a day typically transited the strait.
Gasoline and diesel prices, however, continued to surge. The national average for gasoline jumped 7 cents overnight to $4.44 a gallon, according to AAA, up nearly 50 percent since the war began in February. Diesel hit a record $6.40, up 77 cents since the start of September. Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy warned that consumers should plan on higher prices for longer.
Trump says Iran wants a deal, but talks remain stalled
President Trump again insisted Wednesday that Iran wants to make a deal to end the six-and-a-half-month war. “Hopefully we’re toward the end of the war,” he said during a midterm appearance in North Carolina.
Iranian officials have consistently denied interest in a peace agreement until Washington accepts its conditions, which center on a return to principles in a memorandum of understanding signed in June. Tehran accused the United States of violating the agreement immediately by keeping its naval blockade in place, and the deal collapsed within weeks.
The human and economic costs are being felt far beyond the battlefield. In central North Carolina, farmer Matt Bell, 52, said soaring prices for fuel, fertilizer and equipment are hurting his farm and leading some fellow farmers to consider quitting after this growing season. Bell voted for Trump and initially supported his policies, but now says the administration has made miscalculations. “We’re just being strung along as a country, and that’s not good,” he said. “I think we’ve been misled.”
Russia and China block U.N. monitoring extension
Russia and China vetoed a U.N. resolution Thursday that would have authorized experts to keep monitoring sanctions reimposed on Iran last year over its nuclear program. The Security Council sanctions freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures.
The sanctions were restored Sept. 27, 2025, through the snapback mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The United States drafted a resolution to extend the U.N. expert panel’s mandate for a year. It was defeated 11-2, with Somalia and Pakistan abstaining, because of the Russian and Chinese vetoes.
The vote came as the Trump administration pursues a wider campaign to isolate Tehran from its remaining economic partners. The United States announced new sanctions on cryptocurrency venture Bitbank as part of Operation Economic Outcast. Bitbank is allegedly run by financier Babak Zanjani, who is already sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury.
“Today’s designations of Iranian digital asset infrastructure make perfectly clear that efforts to finance the Iranian regime using cryptocurrencies are not beyond OFAC’s reach,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “If you support the Iranian regime, the Department of the Treasury will sanction you.”
Also sanctioned were BitBank’s developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, and three high-level executives associated with Zanjani, according to the Treasury. Officials described Bitbank as a key component of Iran’s attempts to evade sanctions.
Visas approved for Iranian officials ahead of U.N. meeting
The Trump administration approved visas for top Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to attend next week’s U.N. General Assembly high-level meeting in New York, even as the two countries remain locked in a stalemated war. The State Department said the core delegation and essential staffers would be allowed to attend under travel restrictions, with prohibitions on purchasing luxury and other goods. Officials said the delegation is smaller than last year’s.
The move is unusual given the more than six-month conflict and the absence of signs that agreements to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or return to nuclear talks are close.
Iran backs Houthi denial of Mecca drone attack
Iran is supporting its Yemeni proxy’s denial of a drone attack on Mecca. Saudi officials accused the Iran-backed Houthis of launching a cowardly attack targeting the holy city, a claim the Houthis immediately rejected.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said any attack on Islamic holy sites, particularly Mecca, Medina and Al-Aqsa Mosque, is condemned. He added that the mere claim a drone was intercepted on its way to Mecca cannot justify accusing a specific party, especially since Yemen’s Government of Change and Construction has explicitly denied the claim. Baqaei pointed to the possibility of false flag operations, saying the region has witnessed numerous cases meant to divert attention from alleged crimes by Israel and the United States and to sow division among Islamic countries.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense agency said shrapnel from an intercepted Houthi drone crashed over Taif governorate, east of Mecca, killing one Yemeni national, injuring two others and damaging buildings and vehicles.
Saudi Arabia to buy 48 F-35 fighters
Saudi Arabia will upgrade its air force with the purchase of 48 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft from the United States, according to the State Department. The jets will cost about $24.3 billion and are built by Lockheed Martin. The sale would improve Saudi Arabia’s ability to deter current and future threats, strengthen homeland defense and improve interoperability with U.S., regional and NATO forces, the department said.
The aircraft will be F-35A variants, designed for conventional takeoff. The F-35 is one of the most common stealth fighters in the U.S. arsenal, with hundreds in service across the Air Force, Marines and Navy. Lockheed Martin delivered a record 191 F-35 fighters in 2025.
Iran summons German ambassador over Merz remarks
Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned Germany’s ambassador Thursday to protest what it called inappropriate statements from Berlin, a reference to recent critical remarks by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. After meeting with Iraq’s visiting prime minister Tuesday, Merz demanded Iran lift its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, cease support for armed groups across the region and end its military nuclear program, which Tehran has consistently denied pursuing.
The ministry said Ambassador Axel Wilhelm Dittmann was called in over statements by senior German officials and certain interventionist actions by the German embassy in Tehran. Alireza Yousefi, the ministry’s director for Western Europe, rejected Merz’s comments and conveyed Iran’s strong protest against what it called Germany’s unjustified and destructive approach. Baqaei accused Merz of offering a knowingly distorted narrative, noting that the United States and Israel launched the war on Iran.
U.S. blockade redirects ships as drones go down
The U.S. blockade on commercial ships entering or exiting Iranian ports has now redirected 104 vessels, according to U.S. Central Command, a total that grew by one since Tuesday. The United States reinstated the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz on July 14 after a brief period when Iran agreed not to attack ships following a memorandum of understanding. That agreement quickly fell apart as the two sides argued over control of traffic through the strait.
President Trump touted the blockade during a speech in North Carolina on Wednesday night. “Not one ship going to Iran has gotten through that blockade,” he said. “Not one. So I just want to thank our military.”
Iranian forces in recent days have brought down at least two American MQ-1 unmanned aircraft, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. It was unclear where the aircraft were downed or which variant was involved. The U.S. military has fielded the Predator, retired by the Air Force in 2018, and the larger Gray Eagle, still operated by the Army, including special operations forces. Both are used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, but can also carry Hellfire missiles. Over the Strait of Hormuz, such drones can provide persistent surveillance and track Iranian military activity and threats to U.S. forces and commercial shipping.
Yemen displacement surges as fighting escalates
More than 100,000 people were displaced in Yemen in the first two weeks of September amid increased fighting between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, according to UNICEF. The agency said more than 104,000 people have been displaced, including over 57,000 children. Many came from Taiz, Marib and Aden.
The Houthis blitzed through western Yemen last week, capturing territory as they approached and eventually took the key coastal city of Mocha. Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said children in Yemen were already living through one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises. He warned that tens of thousands of families have been forced from their homes in just two weeks, many fleeing with only what they can carry. More than 2,000 people have crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into Djibouti, UNICEF said.
A senior Iranian figure said Thursday that Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are removed from power. Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, political adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iran’s fighters will not open the strait until they bring down the criminal Trump and the bloodthirsty Netanyahu. Khamenei has not been seen in public since replacing his father as supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed Feb. 28, the first day of joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, and Vice President JD Vance has said Mojtaba was likely gravely wounded in the same strikes.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the Middle East by phone Thursday, Chinese state media reported. The call, not immediately confirmed by the State Department, came days before the two countries’ leaders are due to meet in Washington. Beijing has presented itself as a potential mediator in the U.S.-Iran war.
President Trump on Sunday dismissed a Wall Street Journal report that China had given Iran satellite imagery of an air base before a strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan. “You know, when they say that China spies on us, I say you’re right, and we spy on them too,” Trump told reporters. “That’s what we do. They basically do what we do.” He did not answer whether he would raise the incident with President Xi Jinping when they meet Sept. 24, instead saying he believed they had a good relationship.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed Thursday that three children were killed in government strikes in Taiz province, which the Houthis hold. The Houthi-affiliated Almasirah television network said several Yemeni nationals were injured in strikes by Saudi-backed mercenaries. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government has begun reinforcing defenses around Aden, the interim capital, as fighting with the Houthis draws closer. A local authority source told Al-Araby al-Jadeed that government and allied forces deployed additional personnel and security measures. Reinforcements were also sent toward Lahj and Abyan and to front lines near Houthi positions and the strategic western Red Sea coast, most of which is now under Houthi control.
Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref apologized to Iranians over the soaring cost of living, acknowledging that household incomes, especially for wage earners, are no longer keeping pace with expenses. “We really apologize to the people,” Aref said. “We are ashamed that today the income and expenses of our dear people, especially wage earners, do not balance.” Speaking to Iranian university professors, he called inflation a serious problem and warned there were no quick fixes. It was a rare public acknowledgment by a senior economic official of the pressure on households. He said the government did not want to address the economic strife by burdening future generations.
Fighting intensifies around Bab el-Mandeb
Fighting is intensifying across Yemen as government forces battle Houthi fighters on several fronts, particularly around the strategic Kahboub mountains near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said they repelled a large Houthi infiltration and attack in the mountains. Yemeni media said the Houthis sustained heavy casualties and equipment losses.
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah television network reported Saudi airstrikes Thursday killed one person and wounded another in the town of Abs and struck three telecommunications towers in Taiz province. Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba of Yemen’s U.S.- and Saudi-backed government warned against what she called misleading Houthi messages of reassurance regarding maritime traffic through Bab el-Mandeb. The Houthis have said all tanker traffic in the Red Sea is safe except Saudi-owned ships. Al-Zouba said such statements could be aimed at giving the Houthis time to rearm and prepare for further attacks while consolidating control on the Red Sea coast. She said she discussed developments with the U.S. chargé d’affaires for Yemen.
Lebanon, France and Jordan seek support for Lebanese army
The heads of state of Lebanon, France and Jordan met Thursday to drum up support for the struggling Lebanese military. Ahead of talks in Paris, a statement from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said the three leaders would discuss southern Lebanon and plans for an international presence after the U.N. peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, expires at the end of the year.
A donor conference for Lebanon’s cash-strapped army was initially set for February, led by France, Saudi Arabia and the United States, but was postponed after the Iran war erupted and the latest round of the Israel-Hezbollah war began. No new date was announced after Thursday’s meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Aoun.
Lebanon’s army finds itself caught between the Israeli military, which now occupies much of southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah, which has refused calls to disarm. In June, Lebanon and Israel announced a framework agreement under which Israel would withdraw gradually and the Lebanese army would assume control while Hezbollah would be disarmed. Implementation has stalled. Lebanon has been criticized by Israel and the United States for not taking direct military action to force Hezbollah to disarm.
Trump to meet Gulf leaders as energy concerns grow
President Trump is set to meet with leaders from Persian Gulf states during the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday to discuss the war with Iran, Axios reported Thursday. The meeting is expected to focus on U.S. plans for a post-war strategy, despite no indication of a new deal to end the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also hopes to meet with Trump, an Israeli source said, but nothing has been scheduled.
The Gulf states, many of which host U.S. military bases, have been hit by missiles and drones for months as Iran retaliated for American and Israeli airstrikes. Trump said Wednesday that Iran wanted to make a deal, adding, “Hopefully we are towards the end of the war.”
Vice President JD Vance said the world would face an energy crisis if the United States decides to end its involvement and leave the region. “What I would say to anybody who’s frustrated right now is the alternative here, which is the United States effectively says to the Middle East, ‘You’re on your own,’ would mean necessarily a worldwide energy crisis, so long as the Iranians keep on shooting at shipping, which we know that’s exactly what they would do,” Vance said during a call to the All-In Summit.
Iran began targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz only after the U.S. and Israel began their bombing campaign on Feb. 28. The strait was free to transit until then, but Iranian retaliation reduced tanker traffic through the chokepoint for 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas to a fraction of its prewar level.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that the issue of Iran getting a nuclear weapon is taken care of and that now they need to get gas prices down. He blamed Democrats and former President Biden for high prices. “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. That was an important objective of American foreign policy for the last half-century,” Johnson said at a press conference where he announced the House would go home until the midterm elections. “That’s taken care of, and now we got to get gas prices down. But I want to remind you as well: There’s another big factor of why gas prices are high. This is the result of bad Democrat policy.”
The price for a gallon of regular gas currently costs $4.37, about 30 cents more than a month ago and well over the $3.19 a gallon from a year ago, according to AAA. The average price in January 2025, Biden’s last month in office, was $3.08, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Saudi strikes hit Yemen as Houthis report civilian deaths
Saudi strikes in Yemen killed one person and targeted three telecommunications towers Thursday, Houthi media said, in the latest attacks since the Iran-backed rebel group seized control of the entire Red Sea coast. “Saudi enemy warplanes targeted three telecommunications towers” in Taiz province, Almasirah television said, while one civilian was killed and another injured in strikes on the town of Abs.
On Wednesday, Riyadh accused the Houthis of launching a cowardly attack targeting Mecca, a claim they denied. The Houthis have reported dozens of daily Saudi strikes since seizing strategic coastal areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait from Saudi-backed government forces. Their latest territorial gains cement the hold of Iran and its allies on two waterways that the wider Gulf, including top crude exporter Saudi Arabia, relies on to ship oil.
In July, a fragile 2022 truce between the Houthis and the government fell apart after the group welcomed an Iranian plane to Sanaa in defiance of Riyadh’s control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks. The Houthis later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships and territory. The conflict in Yemen has forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.