The strike was part of a new US barrage against Iranian military targets that ended a roughly month-long lull in fighting, the most significant escalation since July.
What Iranian Officials Say Happened
Iranian media said the ceremony was under way late Tuesday in a private home in Kuhestak, in Sirik County on the Hormozgan coast, when shrapnel from a US missile tore through the building. Videos circulated by Iranian outlets showed a caved-in roof, blown-out windows and walls pocked with holes.
The Iranian Red Crescent and Hormozgan deputy governor Ahmad Nafisi put the death toll at five, including a child, with at least 68 wounded, most of them women and children taken to a hospital in nearby Minab. The Guardian, citing Iranian media, named two of the dead: four-year-old Amir-Ali Karimi and 16-year-old Mohammad Mollahi. Some later Iranian accounts revised the figure to four. Reuters said it could not independently verify the circumstances.
Ali Mohalli, the father of the bride, told Mehr News: "It's a terrible thing. I'm extremely worried and upset about what happened." A child injured at the gathering told the state-affiliated Fars news agency he heard fighter jets before arriving, then an explosion. "Bricks, stones and cement hit me in the face and head," he said. "Everyone was just ordinary civilians."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the incident a war crime. Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, pointed to civilian deaths since the war began, including at a primary school in Minab, and wrote that if a power "acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it's Satan."
What Washington Says
US Central Command said Tuesday's strikes hit air-defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications facilities, in response to recent attempted IRGC attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and on American forces.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesman, said the US was aware of the civilian-casualty reports and that they originated from Iranian state media. "The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC," he said. CENTCOM has not confirmed that a wedding venue was struck.
President Donald Trump called the latest round of strikes large and powerful and warned of more if Iran retaliated.
The War Cycles Back On
Iran answered with missiles and drones aimed at US-linked sites in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. Kuwait and Jordan said their air defenses intercepted attacks. Bahrain said drones targeting US forces there were also intercepted.
The exchange reopens a conflict that has run, on and off, for more than six months, with the Strait of Hormuz still the economic choke point. Independent confirmation of what was hit in Kuhestak, and why, has not arrived. Until it does, the two governments are describing two different events: a war crime at a wedding, and a strike on military infrastructure that, Washington says, never aimed at civilians.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened at the wedding in Iran?
- Iranian officials say a US missile strike hit a house in Kuhestak, Hormozgan province, during a wedding on Tuesday night, killing about five people, including children, and wounding dozens. The US says it does not target civilians and has not confirmed the venue was struck. Reuters could not independently verify the circumstances.
- Did the US admit hitting the wedding?
- No. CENTCOM said it struck Iranian military targets after attempted IRGC attacks on shipping and US forces. Spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said civilian-casualty reports originated in Iranian state media and that the US military never targets civilians.
- How many people died?
- Iranian officials have given figures of four and five dead. The Guardian, citing Iranian media, named a 4-year-old and a 16-year-old among the dead. Independent confirmation is not available.
- How did Iran respond?
- Iran launched missiles and drones at US-linked sites in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain said attacks were intercepted.
