Vice President JD Vance confirms investigation as weapons experts say blast consistent with direct hit by US weapon.
The United States is investigating a deadly strike that hit a wedding celebration in southern Iran this week, after independent analysis indicated the explosion was likely caused by a direct hit from an American munition.
US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that Washington is looking into the incident. “We’re investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know,” Vance told reporters at the White House. He expressed scepticism about Iranian state media reporting but confirmed an official review was under way.
The explosion tore through a family home in the coastal village of Kuhestak in Sirik County, Hormozgan province, late on Tuesday during a wedding gathering. Iranian officials and the Red Crescent reported that at least five people were killed, including a four-year-old child and a 16-year-old, and nearly 70 others were wounded. A 22-year-old woman later died in hospital from her injuries.
Experts Link Wedding Strike to US Munition:
Weapons experts who examined verified photographs and video of the scene concluded the damage was consistent with a munition that detonated on or just above the roof of the building, rather than secondary fragments from a nearby strike.
A telecommunications tower roughly 135 metres away was also hit around the same time. Three of the four experts consulted by Reuters assessed that the weapon used on the wedding site was likely of US origin, rather than an errant Iranian air-defence missile. One expert noted that even precision-guided munitions can miss their intended targets.
The US military has said it is aware of the reports and is examining them. A Central Command spokesman reiterated that American forces “never target civilians.”
Iran Calls Strike a War Crime:
Iranian officials described the strike as a “war crime.” Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran would respond firmly. Local accounts identified the victims as members of the Mallahi family and others attending the celebration of a fisherman’s daughter’s wedding.
The incident occurred amid a broader wave of US airstrikes on Iranian military and infrastructure targets in the region, including sites near the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks form part of the ongoing military confrontation between the United States and Iran that has intensified since earlier this year.
Mourners gathered in Kuhestak on Thursday for funerals as the investigation continued on both sides. The findings of the US review have not yet been made public.