Reuters Analysis Finds US Munition Likely Hit Wedding in Sirik as Iran Calls Attack a War Crime

TEHRAN: An analysis of video footage and images from the scene of a US airstrike on a wedding gathering in southern Iran has found that the explosion was likely caused by a direct strike from an American munition, according to a Reuters report.

The analysis concluded that the damage pattern was consistent with a direct hit by a US precision-guided weapon rather than a ricochet or an Iranian air-defence interception.

The findings came as US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that Washington was investigating the incident, which Iranian authorities have condemned as a war crime.

The strike hit a residential building in Kuhestak, Sirik County, in Hormozgan province, while a wedding ceremony was taking place.

The death toll later rose to five after a 22-year-old woman died in hospital. Nearly 70 civilians were reportedly wounded, with women and children making up a large proportion of those affected.

Among those killed were four-year-old Amir-Mohammad Karimi and 16-year-old Mohammad Malahi.

Mourners gathered in Kuhestak on Thursday as flower petals were placed over coffins covered with Iranian flags.

A local resident expressed anger over the attack, saying the gathering was a wedding rather than a military site and that the strike had transformed a moment of celebration into mourning.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the attack as a clear example of what he called the “true face of the war crime.”

He said the bombing of a wedding ceremony demonstrated the severe consequences of US military operations against Iran and accused Washington of attempting to conceal what Tehran considers the failure of its military campaign.

Baqaei also said Iran continued to adhere to what it described as humanitarian and moral principles despite the ongoing conflict.

The United States has maintained that it does not intentionally target civilians.

Vance said Washington was investigating what he described as possible military mistakes and argued that the US military learns from such incidents.

However, weapons experts who reviewed footage verified by Reuters said the visible damage was consistent with a direct strike by a US precision-guided munition.

The Sirik incident occurred during a wider series of US military attacks along Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran subsequently launched retaliatory operations against US military positions across the region, saying the attacks were a response to American strikes against Iranian territory.

The latest incident has also revived debate over previous cases in which US military operations resulted in civilian casualties, particularly in areas far from recognised battlefields.

Iranian officials have pointed to previous US strikes in Afghanistan that hit wedding gatherings and caused civilian deaths, including women and children, as part of what they describe as a broader pattern of civilian harm.

Iran has also referred to an earlier US strike on a school in Minab, Hormozgan province, which Iranian officials said killed more than 160 schoolchildren and teachers.

An investigation into that incident reportedly examined US responsibility, although the full findings were not publicly released by the Pentagon.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society has referred the Sirik attack to the International Criminal Court, citing the civilian nature of the location and the presence of families attending a wedding.

Iranian authorities have pledged that those responsible will be held accountable and that the attack will not go unanswered.

IRGC Commander Ahmad Vahidi, in a message to the families of the victims, said the deaths in Kuhestak would not be forgotten and warned that those responsible for ordering or carrying out the attack would face consequences.

He said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s Armed Forces would continue defending the country and honouring those killed during what Iranian officials describe as the latest US-Israeli-imposed conflicts, including the ongoing confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz.

The Reuters analysis has added renewed international attention to the circumstances of the Sirik strike, particularly over whether a US munition directly hit a civilian gathering and whether the incident warrants further independent investigation.