Five Martyred, Including Child, as US Strike Shrapnel Hits Wedding Reception in Southern Iran

TEHRAN: At least five people, including a child, have been martyred and 68 others wounded after shrapnel from a reported US strike hit a residential building where a wedding reception was being held in Kouhestak, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province.

The incident occurred in Sirik County, which came under attack during the latest US military operation.

Hormozgan’s Red Crescent Society said the casualties were caused by shrapnel from a US missile strike that struck near a residential home in Kouhestak while a wedding celebration was underway.

Hossein Kermanpour, head of the Public Relations and Information Center at Iran’s Ministry of Health, confirmed the casualty figures, citing medical sources at Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences. He said in a post on X that a child was among those killed.

Earlier reports had placed the death toll at two before the number of fatalities increased.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) condemned the incident, saying the strike had brought back memories of previous attacks on civilian areas during the last round of US-Israeli military action against Iran.

According to the IRGC, previous attacks during that conflict included strikes on a school in Minab, Hormozgan province, and a sports complex in Lamerd, Fars province, which Iranian authorities said resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties.

The latest incident has intensified concerns over the impact of military operations on densely populated areas and civilians.

The reported attacks extended beyond Kouhestak.

In another part of Sirik County, the US military reportedly struck a fishing pier and a tower belonging to the local port authority.

A fishmeal factory on Qeshm Island in Hormozgan was also reportedly targeted.

The strikes came amid an escalating military confrontation between Iran and the United States, with both sides carrying out attacks against military and strategic targets.

Following the latest US attacks, Iran’s Armed Forces launched a series of retaliatory operations involving coordinated missile and drone strikes against US military positions and interests across the region.

The IRGC said the retaliation included the downing of another advanced American MQ-9 drone, describing it as the 50th such drone brought down by Iranian forces.

The Corps also reported a heavy ballistic-missile strike against Camp Titiin, described by Iranian authorities as a US Marine facility in Jordan near the Gulf of Aqaba.

Iran has repeatedly warned that attacks launched against its territory would trigger retaliation against US forces and military installations in the region.

Earlier US strikes had also targeted areas in Chabahar and Konarak in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, as well as Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran subsequently carried out retaliatory attacks against US forces stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, further escalating tensions across the region.

The reported deaths at the wedding reception have added a deeply human dimension to the widening conflict, with the presence of a child among the fatalities likely to intensify international scrutiny over the protection of civilians during military operations.