Iran says US bombed a wedding party in Sirik, killing at least four people

Iran has accused the United States of bombing a house during a wedding celebration in the southern county of Sirik, killing at least four people, including two children.

Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the “brutal” attack that hit the residence in the city of Kuhestak early on Wednesday was a “war crime”.

“The truth of this unlawful war of choice – and the true face of the war crime – is in Sirik, where a wedding ceremony was brutally bombed as part of America’s desperate struggle to conceal its failure,” Baghaei posted on X.

More than 50 people, including women and children, were wounded, authorities said.

Footage published by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) showed a building with walls and windows blown out, and debris scattered on the ground. The humanitarian group also published pictures of several children receiving treatment at a hospital.

The IRCS sent a letter to the International Criminal Court calling for legal action following the US missile attack in southern Sirik.

“Given the reported civilian character of the location as the venue of a family wedding ceremony, as well as the presence of civilians at the site, the incident raises serious concerns under international humanitarian law and warrants an independent, impartial, thorough, and effective investigation,” the IRCS said.

All of the wounded were taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Minab and were “in stable condition”, Reza Shahidiyan, the governor of Sirik county, told the IRIB state broadcaster.

The semi-official Fars news agency also published an account from a child who survived the blast.

The child said in video that he heard fighter jets before he arrived at the venue.

“When we arrived there, an explosion occurred. It was very intense. Bricks, stones, and cement hit me in the face and head, and many others were injured,” he said. “Everyone was just ordinary civilians.”

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticised the US over the attack, describing Washington as “Satan”. In a statement on X, he said “if a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it’s Satan.”

The US military earlier announced a new wave of strikes against “Iranian military targets”, saying it followed attempted attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military said it had hit Iranian air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported explosions in more coastal cities, including Konarak, Bandar Abbas, Jask, Asaluyeh and Ahvaz, as well as Qeshm Island.

The strikes follow a separate exchange of fire and growing tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded since the start of the US and Israel’s war on the country on February 28.

Iran’s military said it retaliated by attacking US bases and assets in Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq. Kuwait also reported intercepting drones and missiles.

The Iranian attacks were strongly condemned by the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi.

“These Iranian attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of these states and a direct threat to their security and stability,” he said.