A wedding celebration in Kuhestak, a fishing port in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province, was struck by a U.S. precision-guided bomb late on a recent evening, resulting in multiple civilian casualties and injuries. The attack occurred around 9 p.m. local time, when hundreds of guests—mostly women and children—were gathered for a traditional ceremony in a private home.
The bomb, identified by weapons experts as a 500-kilogram AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) glide bomb, hit directly on the reception hall, causing the roof to collapse and leaving a crater approximately 1.5 meters wide in the center of the room. The explosion interrupted the festivities attended by about 350 people, many dressed in hand-embroidered local garments as part of the wedding customs of the southern coastal community.
According to witnesses, the strike was part of a broader wave of U.S. military operations targeting what officials described as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defense, radar, and communication facilities in the region. However, local authorities and residents said the house struck was a civilian residence without nearby military installations, raising concerns about the targeting of noncombatants.
At least seven people were confirmed dead, including two women—Zardkhatun Taheri, 50, and Kolsoom Fallahi-Molla, in her early 40s—and two boys who had been playing near a telecommunications tower about 100 meters from the wedding venue. Among the deceased was Amir Mohammad Karimi, 4, a child who was expected to begin preschool in the autumn. Another 22-year-old female guest later succumbed to injuries in a hospital. Around 70 individuals were injured, with 19 children under the age of 10 among them, some severely wounded by shrapnel.
The bride, Maryam Mallahi, and groom, Ziauddin, survived the incident, but several members of the bride’s family were hospitalized, including her mother, Ameneh Mallahi, who suffered shrapnel wounds. Eyewitnesses described chaotic rescue efforts, with local residents, firefighters, and paramedics searching the rubble well into the early morning hours. Red Crescent volunteers arrived within minutes of the blast and coordinated the response alongside local emergency services.
The attack has prompted calls for an international investigation into the incident. The Red Crescent has requested that the International Criminal Court examine whether the strike constituted a war crime, given the venue’s civilian nature and the absence of confirmed military targets. This event marks the fourth time during ongoing hostilities that U.S. munitions have struck civilian sites with significant casualties in the region, following the deadly missile attack on the Shajare Tuyebe elementary school in nearby Minab earlier this year, which resulted in over 175 fatalities.
In a rare public comment, U.S. Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that the strike was under investigation, emphasizing the administration’s concern over civilian harm. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran remain high, with recent military actions reflecting ongoing efforts by Washington to assert control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime passage adjacent to Hormozgan province. Diplomatic initiatives aimed at de-escalating the conflict and reopening the waterway have so far failed to make progress.