Iran’s Red Crescent Society reported that shrapnel from a US missile strike hit a family wedding ceremony in the coastal town of Kuhestak in southern Iran, killing four people identified as Zarkhatoon Taheri, 50; Kolsum Mallahi Nazhdnia, 43; Mohammad Mallahi, 16; and Amirali Karimi, 4. The incident also injured 67 others. Iranian foreign ministry officials characterized the attack as a war crime. Ali Mallahi, the building owner and father of the bride, expressed sadness over the incident in a statement broadcast by state television, noting that casualties could have been higher.
US Central Command stated it was aware of the reports but asserted that the American military never targets civilians. A Centcom spokesperson indicated that the strikes were conducted in response to recent attempted attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against American forces and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20 percent of global oil and gas typically transits. President Donald Trump characterized the strikes as “large and powerful.” Centcom identified the targeted locations as air defense sites, radar systems, and maritime assets, with explosions reported across multiple southern Iranian provinces.
Beach verification efforts confirmed that a telecommunications tower near Kuhestak was damaged and that houses approximately 130 meters away sustained severe damage. A weapons expert indicated that debris at the scene appeared consistent with an AGM-84 Standoff Land Attack Missile, a US cruise missile. Additional Iranian reports indicated seven more deaths in separate strikes near Ahvaz and Aqajari, while the IRGC reported losses among its aerospace force personnel and paramilitary members.
In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones toward US facilities in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. The Iranian military claimed the attacks caused casualties and damage, including at a US Marine installation in Jordan, though US officials reported no casualties. Jordan’s armed forces stated they intercepted most incoming missiles. A fire erupted at a residential complex in Kuwait after a drone strike, with no reported deaths. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company reported two Filipino sailors killed in a separate security incident involving its crude oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
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