US investigates deadly strike on Iranian wedding as analysis points to direct hit

Kuhestak, Iran. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the United States was investigating a deadly strike on a wedding in southern Iran earlier this week after a Reuters analysis indicated the damage likely resulted from a direct hit by a U.S. munition.

Iranian state television said a 22-year-old woman died in hospital on Thursday, bringing the reported death toll from the strike to five. Iranian officials said nearly 70 people were wounded.

Investigation under way

Vance told reporters on Thursday that the United States was examining the incident.

“We’re investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know,” he said.

“If we do make mistakes, again, this is a big difference between us and Iran, when our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to get better from them,” Vance added.

The U.S. military said it was aware of Iranian reports of the incident but said it “never targets civilians”.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government was considering several possible explanations for the wedding casualties, including a U.S. strike, a ricochet from an Iranian air defence missile or an errant interceptor.

Reuters analysis

An explosion struck a home during a wedding celebration in southern Iran on Tuesday, in an area along the Strait of Hormuz coast that was hit by heavy U.S. airstrikes late that day.

Reuters shared verified images and video from the incident with four military weapons experts. They said the damage was consistent with a direct hit rather than secondary damage caused by a munition ricocheting from another target.

The United States has not accepted responsibility for the incident.

Funerals held

Funeral-goers gathered outside the village of Kuhestak in Sirik County on Thursday afternoon to mourn those killed in the strike.

The incident comes as President Donald Trump’s administration faces growing domestic public pressure to end the war, which is weighing on his approval ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections.