‘Horrific, appalling’: Iran urges UN Security Council to condemn deadly US attack on wedding ceremony

UNITED NATIONS: Iran has called on the UN Security Council to condemn a US strike on a residential home hosting a wedding ceremony in southern Iran that killed five civilians, including a four-year-old child, and wounded more than 70 others.

Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran’s ambassador and chargé d’affaires to the United Nations, made the appeal in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council.

The letter followed a fresh wave of US strikes against southern Iranian cities, which Iran said collectively killed at least 18 people and wounded 108 others.

Darzi said a residential home in Kouhestak, Sirik County, in Hormozgan Province, was hit while a wedding celebration was taking place.

He described the incident as a “horrific and appalling” crime and said the deliberate killing of civilians, including children, constituted a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The Iranian envoy said the attack should be treated as a war crime and called for international action over the deaths and injuries.

According to the letter, the Kouhestak incident was part of what Iran described as a broader pattern of US and Israeli attacks on civilian locations across the country.

Darzi said that since February 28, attacks had affected residential areas as well as critical civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, airports, bridges, roads and railway facilities.

He also referred to an earlier attack on a primary school in Minab, Hormozgan Province. According to the Iranian account, more than 168 students, mostly girls between seven and 12 years old, along with teachers and school staff, were killed, while another 110 people were injured.

Darzi argued that civilian deaths, particularly those involving children, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure should not be dismissed as collateral damage or treated as a normal consequence of warfare.

The Iranian diplomat said Tehran’s retaliatory military actions were being carried out under what Iran considers its inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

He urged the Security Council to condemn the attacks and specifically address the Kouhestak incident.

Iran also called for the incidents in Minab and Kouhestak to be reflected in future UN reports concerning civilian protection.

Darzi further urged the Security Council to hold the United States accountable for the damage caused by the attacks and seek full reparations for the resulting losses.

The Iranian appeal comes amid continued military tensions between Tehran and Washington, with growing concerns over civilian casualties and the wider humanitarian impact of the conflict.