US airstrikes in southern Iran kill five at wedding, injure dozens as regional tensions escalate

US military strikes targeting Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps installations in Hormozgan province on September 1 sent shrapnel ripping through a nearby wedding celebration, killing five people and injuring as many as 68 others. Among the dead was a four-year-old child. The strikes, which hit around 9:30 PM local time near the coastal town of Kuhestak in Sirik County, were confirmed by US Central Command as part of a broader operation against IRGC military sites. CENTCOM said the operation was a direct response to Iranian attacks on commercial shipping and US personnel in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply transits daily. What happened on the ground Iranian state media reported that debris from a strike on or near a telecommunications tower showered the wedding venue with shrapnel. The casualties were predominantly women and children. Iran’s Red Crescent Society documented the injuries and damage at the scene, with the total number of wounded reported between 63 and 68 depending on the source. Homes surrounding the strike site were also damaged. Iranian investigators identified fragments they believe came from a US AGM-8...