Khamenei orders legal action over US-Israeli war crimes against Iran

TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei has called on Iran’s judiciary to pursue domestic and international legal action over U.S.-Israeli war crimes committed during the attacks on Iran since last year, stressing that those responsible must be brought to justice.

In a message issued Sunday to mark Iran’s Judiciary Week, Khamenei said pursuing the Iranian nation’s violated rights is among the country’s most important legal priorities.

He said the blood of those killed during the June 2025 and February 2026 wars, along with the physical, psychological, material and spiritual damage inflicted on Iran, forms the basis for hundreds, if not thousands, of legal cases.

Khamenei urged judicial authorities to seek justice for victims through both domestic and international courts, saying every Iranian affected by the wars has legal grounds to pursue claims.

He cited war crimes in the southern cities of Minab and Lamerd, attacks on medical and public service facilities, the deaths of civilians ranging from newborn infants to the elderly, and the killing of the leader of the Islamic Revolution as cases requiring legal action.

“What is certain is that the criminals must be brought to justice and made to face the consequences of their criminal acts,” he said.

On Feb. 28, 2026, U.S. Tomahawk missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, southern Iran, killing 168 people, including 120 schoolchildren, according to Iranian authorities.

Hours later, two U.S. missiles struck a sports hall in Lamerd, Fars province, killing at least 21 people, including four children, and injuring 150 others.

Khamenei said statements by some American and Israeli officials acknowledging, and in some cases expressing pride over, the attacks amount to admissions that strengthen the legal basis for pursuing Iran’s claims.

He also called for implementing a directive issued by the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution during his final meeting with senior judicial officials last year, which ordered legal action over crimes committed during the 2025 Israeli war on Iran, which was later joined by the U.S.

Khamenei said the directive should now be expanded to include the 2026 war and pursued until court rulings are secured and enforced by the relevant authorities.

He said such legal efforts would also help prevent similar crimes from recurring in the future.

Concluding his message, Khamenei said achieving comprehensive judicial reform requires sincerity, determination, courage, innovation and the effective use of modern technologies and intelligent systems, expressing hope that those goals would be realized through divine assistance.