KUHESTAK, Iran: Weapons experts say a US munition likely struck an Iranian wedding directly on September 1, killing at least four people and wounding 68 others.
Reuters reported that the explosion hit a home hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, Sirik County, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province. At the time, US forces were carrying out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said its forces targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air-defence sites, radar systems and communications facilities. CENTCOM said the operation followed attempted attacks on commercial shipping and US personnel.
Four weapons experts reviewed images and video from the wedding site. According to their assessments, the damage matched a munition exploding on or immediately above the roof.
Three experts said a US weapon was more likely responsible than an Iranian air-defence missile. Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal technician, also reviewed the material.
He said the visible blast pattern pointed to a direct strike. Other specialists examined the impact angle. In addition, they found no fragmentation normally associated with an air-defence warhead.
Iranian media later showed several weapon fragments after the attack. Ball identified some components as parts of a Joint Standoff Weapon, or JSOW. The US military commonly uses the glide bomb. However, Reuters could not confirm that the fragments came from the house in Kuhestak.
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Reports of the attack began circulating at about 9:30 p.m. Iran time on September 1, meanwhile, the strikes also destroyed a nearby telecommunications tower. Iranian state media, citing telecommunications authorities, described the tower as a civilian facility. It provided mobile, telephone and internet services across Sirik County.
The US military has repeatedly targeted radar and communications infrastructure near the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict. Therefore, the nearby tower was among several communications-related sites damaged during the broader strikes.
US Vice President JD Vance said on September 3 that Washington was investigating the incident. The US military also said it was examining reports of civilian casualties.
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Human rights groups initially reported four deaths and at least 68 injuries. They identified three victims as wedding guests. Meanwhile, they said a fourth person died while riding a motorcycle near the telecommunications tower.
Iranian media later reported another death in the hospital toll rose to five. Residents held funeral processions on September 3 for those killed. Among the victims was four-year-old Amir Mohammad Karimi.
Mourners in Sirik carried his small casket through the procession. At the same time, residents gathered to pay respects to the other victims of the strike.
