What do we know about the fatal US bombing of a wedding in Iran’s Sirik?

Tehran, Iran – The city of Kuhestak, located in southern Iran's Sirik County in Hormozgan province, close to the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of multiple overnight attacks by the United States military, with local sources and authorities saying a wedding ceremony was struck.

Key points

• The Hormozgan governor's office on Wednesday identified four victims as four-year-old Amir Ali Karimi, 16-year-old Mohammad Malahi, 43-year-old Kolsoum Malahi and 43-year-old Zarkhatoun Taheri.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs remarked the strikes in Kuhestak complete the "catalogue of atrocities against the nation of Iran" by the US.
• Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), remarked they were aware of reports of civilian casualties "originated from Iranian state media".
• "The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC, " he remarked, in reference to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
• It wrote to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, seeking legal action against the perpetrators of the "grave" attack.

In practice, the Hormozgan governor's office on Wednesday identified four victims as four-year-old Amir Ali Karimi, 16-year-old Mohammad Malahi, 43-year-old Kolsoum Malahi and 43-year-old Zarkhatoun Taheri. More than 60 others were wounded, some seriously.

But while the operational details behind the strikes remain unclear, numerous videos and images from the area, witness accounts and official reports indicate that multiple projectiles hit Kuhestak, some to deadly effect.

Footage indicated that a number of projectiles struck a telecommunications tower located near the city's shoreline and destroyed it, with some locals saying they believed drones were among the weapons applied. Based on fragments discovered in Kuhestak, defence experts say it might be a variant of the AGM-84K SLAM-ER. It manufacturer Boeing describes as an advanced precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile with "surgical strike capability".

Wednesday morning's footage, taken from some distance from the telecom tower, demonstrates at least one direct hit to the roof of the building where the wedding was taking place.

More videos, published by locals and state media, demonstrated partial destruction and debris inside the building, and electricity going out in the area. Women's and children's slippers could be seen scattered around. A number of other adjacent residential buildings additionally sustained damage.

Meanwhile, a state television reporter remarked three US missiles were employed in the attack, with one penetrating through the roof and creating a 1.5-metre (5-foot) hole in the ground.

In practice, a man identified as Ali Malahi, the owner of the targeted building where his daughter's wedding was taking place, informed state television that residents inside were all civilians.

State TV footage from a hospital in the area indicated a number of wounded children and their families receiving medical care.

For context, a young local man wounded in the attack remarked he and others were heading towards the house when they heard jets flying above, and the bombs caused massive explosions while they were arriving.

"Many young children and women were horribly wounded, " he remarked from the hospital bed.

For context, a woman with bloodied hands remarked in a video issued by state-linked SNN that she was there at the scene and could confirm that individuals present at the scene were civilians.

"This house was by no means close to any military site, " she remarked, adding that it appeared the munitions were directly targeting the building.

As it issued a number of images from the site of the attack and the children who were injured, the Iranian Red Crescent Society remarked the incident was thoroughly documented.

It wrote to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, seeking legal action against the perpetrators of the "grave" attack. Other prominent attacks on civilians.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remarked the strikes in Kuhestak complete the "catalogue of atrocities against the nation of Iran" by the US.

"This cruelty cannot be separated from the chain of atrocities that preceded it in Minab, Lamerd, Qeshm and elsewhere nor from the strikes on military targets that were dressed in deceptive justifications, " spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X.

"More dangerous than the bomb itself is the normalisation of bombing; and more dangerous than silence is the conversion of silence into legitimacy, " he remarked.

In Minab, additionally located in Hormozgan province, the deadliest strike of the war in terms of civilian casualties largely destroyed an elementary school packed with children on the first day of the war on February 28. As well as teachers, parents and others, the attack killed regarding 170 residents, mostly schoolchildren.

Despite evidence that its Tomahawk missiles were applied in the attack, the US military has refused to release findings from its investigation. CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper asserted the school was located "on an active IRGC cruise missile base".

In the southern Fars province's city of Lamerd, evidence and witness accounts pointed to a missile strike on a sports hall being applied by a women's volleyball team on the first day of the war, killing 21 residents, including four children.

While CENTCOM denied responsibility and accused Iran, investigations by The New York Times, BBC and independent analysts concluded that a US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was responsible for the destruction.

Notably, the munition was designed to explode midair, scattering thousands of tungsten pellets that could claim casualties and accord damage to buildings and vehicles in a substantial area.

As well as power installations, medical centres and water facilities, during over six months of war on Iran, the US and Israel have additionally struck critical infrastructure like oil and gas facilities, fuel depots, steel and petrochemical factories, airports, ports and bridges.

More than 3, 500 Iranians have been killed since the start of the war, including more than 50 during the 60-day truce against the backdrop of renewed fighting in July, according to authorities.

Taken together, the developments around what do we know about the fatal US bombing of a wedding point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.