Judiciary Launches Over 500 Cases Against U.S., Israel Over War Crimes
TEHRAN – Iran’s judiciary has launched more than 500 criminal and civil cases related to acts of aggression by the United States and Israel, with over 32,000 plaintiffs seeking compensation for damages suffered during two separate wars, the country’s prosecutor general said.
Mohammad Movahedi Azad told national television that legal proceedings began immediately after the 12-day war in June 2025, when Israel assassinated military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians before the U.S. joined the conflict by bombing three nuclear facilities.
Authorities have since filed over 200 criminal complaints currently under review, with some compensation judgments already issued against Washington and allied nations, Movahedi Azad said. More than 300 civil lawsuits have been registered, with 2,000 lawyers volunteering to assist victims in domestic and international legal forums.
The cases escalated following a second, 40-day war launched on February 28, 2026, when the U.S. and Israel jointly assassinated Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and senior commanders.
The terrorist coalition bombed critical infrastructure including oil depots, gas refineries, and power plants—more than 2,000 energy facilities were targeted, according to Deputy Energy Minister Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi.
Hundreds of civilians were killed, including more than 168 schoolchildren who died when Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab was struck on the first day of the assault.
Judiciary Chief Gholamhussein Mohseni Ejei described the attacks as “deliberate” war crimes under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, citing the targeting of civilians, hospitals, schools, universities, and residential homes.
“The enemy must be grabbed and punished,” he said, vowing to pursue cases internationally until Iran’s rights are restored.
Iran’s Red Crescent Society has forwarded 35 war crimes dossiers to international bodies, including the International Criminal Court, according to its head Pirhussein Koolivand. Two specialized branches of the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office have been assigned to handle the cases, with prosecutors working around the clock, Movahedi Azad said.