Iran Accuses US of War Crime After Wedding Strike
- Iranian authorities are accusing the United States of committing a war crime after missile strikes killed at least four people and wounded 68 others at a family wedding...
- Iranian Foreign Minister Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the attack on X as a war crime, vowing that the actions would not go unpunished.
- United States Central Command stated that it was aware of the reports regarding civilian casualties but insisted that the US military never targets civilians.
Wedding Celebration Shattered in Coastal Strike
Iranian authorities are accusing the United States of committing a war crime after missile strikes killed at least four people and wounded 68 others at a family wedding party in the coastal town of Kuhestak.
The strike hit on Tuesday during a celebration at a residential building in Sirik in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province. According to the Hormozgan Governorate and Iranian state media, those killed included Zarkhatoon Taheri, 50; Kolsum Mallahi Nazhdnia, 43; Mohammad Mallahi, 16; and Amirali Karimi, four. Ali Mallahi, the father of the bride and owner of the building, stated in a video broadcast by state television that the celebration was turned into a tragedy when shrapnel struck the home. Footage circulated by Iranian media showed ruined decorations, abandoned shoes, and a collapsed telecommunications tower roughly 112 to 140 meters away from the wedding site.
Tehran Condemns Washington Over Casualties
Iranian Foreign Minister Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the attack on X as a war crime, vowing that the actions would not go unpunished. Ebrahim Azizi, chairperson of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, echoed those remarks, while parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described the incident as further proof of hostile US actions. Regional authorities reported that the strikes also damaged telecommunications and internet infrastructure in Hormozgan province, disrupting local communication networks.
Pentagon Points to Revolutionary Guard Targets
United States Central Command stated that it was aware of the reports regarding civilian casualties but insisted that the US military never targets civilians.
CENTCOM spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins maintained that the operations followed recent attempted attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against American forces and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM confirmed that its air strikes targeted air defense sites, radar systems, and maritime assets belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Retaliatory Volleys Shatter Relative Calm
The latest military exchanges have shattered a relative pause in hostilities that followed an initial surprise bombing campaign launched by the US and Israel on February 28, which killed Iran’s supreme leader.
Following Tuesday’s strikes, Iran launched retaliatory missiles and drones toward US targets in Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, and Bahrain. Most of the incoming projectiles were intercepted by neighboring states, though Kuwait reported that a falling drone sparked a fire in a residential complex without causing casualties. Iranian state media also reported additional fatalities from separate US strikes in Khuzestan province and Kermanshah.