Shelling turns Iranian wedding into nightmare

What began as a wedding celebration in southern Iran ended in devastation after a reported US strike hit a residential area in Kuhestak, in Sirik County, killing civilians and injuring dozens as fighting between Washington and Tehran escalated once again.

Iranian authorities initially reported that five people, including a child, had been killed when shrapnel from a US missile strike hit a home where the wedding was taking place. More than 50 people were reported wounded.

However, later reports by Iranian state media put the death toll at four — two women and two children aged four and 16 — while at least 68 people were reported injured. Authorities have not explained the discrepancy in the casualty figures.

Video and images from the aftermath showed widespread destruction at the site. Bloodstained shoes and debris were scattered across the property, while parts of the roof had been blown open.

What had been a gathering of families and children had been transformed into a scene of destruction.

Iranian authorities said dozens of people received medical treatment at facilities in Minab and Sirik. Footage released by Iranian media showed medical workers treating injured children and other patients.

The reported strike on the wedding was part of a wider wave of US attacks across southern Iran.

The US military “never targets civilians”, while accusing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, of doing otherwise. - Captain Tim Hawkins, Spokesman for US Central Command

Explosions and strikes were reported in and around Konarak in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, as well as Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Jask. Iranian and international reports said US operations targeted military infrastructure, including air-defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets and communications facilities.

The US military said it was aware of reports of civilian casualties.

Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said the US military “never targets civilians”, while accusing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, of doing otherwise.

Washington said its latest strikes followed what it described as recent attempts by the IRGC to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US military personnel deployed in the region.

Iran, however, vowed to respond.

The IRGC announced what it described as a decisive retaliatory operation, saying missiles and drones had been launched towards US bases and interests across the Middle East.

The response was soon felt beyond Iran's borders.

Kuwait reported intercepting Iranian drones, while Jordan said its air defences had intercepted 10 of 13 ballistic missiles that entered its airspace. The remaining missiles landed in unpopulated areas, according to Jordanian authorities.

The latest exchange has brought an end to more than a month of relative calm between Washington and Tehran.

On Sunday, US forces struck Iranian military targets on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran subsequently launched missile attacks targeting bases hosting US forces in Jordan, before the latest and wider exchange of strikes pushed tensions higher still.

The escalation has renewed fears that a conflict that had appeared to be entering a period of relative restraint could once again spread across the Middle East.

For now, the military and political consequences remain uncertain.

However, at a damaged home in Kuhestak, the human cost of the escalation is already clear. A wedding celebration has become another site of destruction in a conflict that continues to move across borders — and raises an increasingly urgent question over how far the latest escalation will go, and how many more civilians could be caught in its path.