Iran has accused the United States of committing a “war crime” after Iranian officials said a U.S. missile strike killed four people, including two children, during a wedding celebration in southern Iran.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said shrapnel from a missile struck a family wedding ceremony being held at a home in the coastal town of Kuhestak, in Sirik, killing four people and injuring 67 others.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the incident as a “war crime.”
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it “never targets civilians” and added that it was aware of the reports.
Iranian authorities identified the four people killed as Zarkhatoon Taheri, 50; Kolsum Mallahi Nazhdnia, 43; Mohammad Mallahi, 16; and Amirali Karimi, 4. Iranian media initially reported that five people had been killed.
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Ali Mallahi, the father of the bride and owner of the building, said in a video broadcast by Iranian state television that the incident occurred while his daughter’s wedding ceremony was taking place.
“Unfortunately, this is a residential building. And unfortunately, this happened during my daughter’s wedding ceremony,” he said.
Iranian authorities also reported that another 14 people were killed elsewhere in the country following the U.S. strikes.
CENTCOM said the U.S. attacks targeted air defense sites, radar systems and maritime assets, following what it described as “recent attempted attacks” by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against U.S. forces and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategic waterway carries around 20% of global oil and gas shipments.
Iran responded by launching missiles and drones toward U.S. targets in Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq and Bahrain. Most of the projectiles were reportedly intercepted. Kuwait said one drone caused a fire at a residential complex but resulted in no casualties.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned that military operations against U.S. forces in the region would continue until Washington “regrets” its actions.
U.S. President Donald Trump described the strikes as “large and powerful.”
