Evidence points to US weapon in deadly strike on Iran wedding celebration

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The United States is investigating a deadly strike on a wedding gathering in southern Iran after weapons experts reviewing verified images and video concluded the blast was likely caused by a direct hit from a U.S. munition, Vice President JD Vance said Thursday.

Five people have died following Tuesday’s strike on a home hosting the celebration, according to Iranian state television, which reported Thursday that a 22-year-old woman had died from her injuries. Iranian officials said nearly 70 others were wounded.

The Trump administration has not accepted responsibility for the strike, which came amid a new escalation in the conflict as President Donald Trump faces growing domestic pressure to end the fighting ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Debris lies on carpets inside a building that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there, in Kuhestak, southern Iran (AP)

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Vance confirmed U.S. authorities were examining what happened.

“We’re investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know,” Vance said.

“If we do make mistakes, again, this is a big difference between us and Iran, when our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to get better from them,” he added.

Vice President JD Vance speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House (AFP/Getty)

The U.S. military, while acknowledging reports of civilian casualties, said it “never targets civilians.”

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities were examining several possible explanations, including a U.S. strike, an Iranian air defense missile ricochet or a malfunctioning interceptor.

However, four weapons specialists who reviewed images and footage of the damage said the evidence was consistent with a direct strike rather than secondary damage. Three assessed that the munition was likely of U.S. origin, while one said it was possible the weapon had missed its intended target.

The United States has not accepted responsibility for the incident (AP)

Mourners gathered Thursday near the village of Kuhestak in Sirik County, along the Strait of Hormuz coast, an area that came under heavy U.S. airstrikes late Tuesday.

Footage published by Iran’s Mehr news agency showed a pickup truck carrying a flag-draped coffin beneath palm fronds during the funeral. A reporter at the scene said it contained the body of a 4-year-old child killed in the strike.

Mourners threw flower petals into the air as a casket passed and military personnel stood at attention.

An injured victim lies in a hospital bed following an attack at a wedding near Sirik (WANA)

“If it was a military location, it wouldn’t be so painful,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted a local resident as saying. “This was a wedding ceremony, but they turned people’s joy into mourning.”

The incident comes about six months after a missile destroyed a primary school in Iran, where Iranian officials said more than 175 children and teachers were killed. An initial internal U.S. military review indicated American forces were likely responsible, though the Pentagon has not publicly released its findings.

Washington launched Tuesday’s airstrikes against coastal military targets in response to Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian officials said 18 people were killed in the latest U.S. assault. Tehran retaliated Wednesday with attacks on U.S. bases across Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, followed by additional strikes early Thursday against a U.S. base in Kuwait. Air defense systems intercepted incoming drones and missiles.

The renewed fighting also rattled energy markets, pushing Brent crude futures above $96 a barrel Thursday after four consecutive days of gains, their highest level since July.

By Thursday, however, the conflict’s most serious escalation since July appeared to be easing, with neither side reporting any further major attacks.