Iran Says 11 Killed in Fresh US Strikes, Wedding Party Among Sites Hit
TEHRAN, IRAN — WEB DESK: Iran said at least 11 people were killed in fresh US strikes on its territory, including civilians caught in an attack near a wedding gathering in the country’s south, as renewed exchanges between Washington and Tehran raised fears of another major escalation across the Middle East.
Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted the deputy governor of southwestern Khuzestan province as saying a US missile attack hit three locations overnight, killing seven people and injuring eight.
Separately, Iranian authorities reported civilian deaths after a strike hit a residential property where a wedding was taking place in Kuhestak, Sirik county, in the southern province of Hormozgan near the Strait of Hormuz.
The overall casualty figures remain Iranian official and state-media figures and could not all be independently verified. The death toll from the wedding incident also varied in early reporting as authorities updated casualty information.
Wedding Gathering Hit Near Sirik
The Iranian Red Crescent initially said shrapnel from a US missile strike hit a residential home in Kuhestak while a wedding celebration was taking place.
Early reports said four people, including a child, were killed and more than 50 wounded. Later Iranian reporting raised the wedding-related death toll to five, while a local official said at least 63 people had been injured.
Reuters’ latest reporting also put the wedding death toll at five, including a child, and said dozens were injured.
Because the casualty count changed during the developing situation, the most accurate formulation is that Iranian authorities reported at least four and subsequently five deaths at the wedding site, rather than treating the earliest figure as final.
Iranian officials said many of those injured were women and children. The wounded were taken to hospital for treatment, according to local authorities.
Seven More Reported Killed in Khuzestan
Iran reported additional casualties on Wednesday from overnight US strikes in Khuzestan.
IRNA quoted the province’s deputy governor for security and law enforcement as saying attacks on three locations killed seven people and wounded eight others.
Combined with the earlier wedding-site toll, Iranian state media reported at least 11 deaths from the latest US attacks, although subsequent revisions to individual incident tolls mean the overall figure could change.
The identities and civilian or military status of all seven people reported killed in Khuzestan were not independently established in the sources reviewed.
US Says It Targeted Iranian Military Infrastructure
The US military confirmed conducting a new wave of strikes against Iran but described its targets as military.
US Central Command said the operation struck air-defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities and communications infrastructure linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The United States said the attacks followed Iranian activity threatening commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and previous Iranian attacks targeting US forces.
The available US statements do not establish that Washington intentionally targeted a wedding gathering.
That distinction is essential: Iran says a US strike or its effects hit the residential property hosting the wedding, while Washington’s publicly stated operation was directed against Iranian military targets.
Iran Retaliates Against US Regional Positions
Iran responded to the latest strikes with missile and drone attacks targeting US military positions and interests across the region.
Tehran claimed attacks against US-linked military sites in Jordan, Iraq and Bahrain, while Kuwait also reported confronting Iranian threats.
The outcomes claimed by Iran require careful attribution.
Reuters reported that US officials said there were no casualties among American personnel in Jordan, while Jordanian and Bahraini authorities said their air-defence systems intercepted incoming threats. Iranian claims of casualties from attacks on US bases elsewhere were not independently confirmed.
The IRGC has vowed further retaliation for the US strikes.
Renewed Fighting Follows Brief Lull
The latest attacks mark a significant resurgence in hostilities after a relative lull since July.
Washington carried out strikes against Iranian positions on Sunday before launching a larger round of attacks on Tuesday. Tehran retaliated against sites used by US forces in the region.
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran against further retaliation, while Iranian military officials have said additional US attacks would produce a much stronger response.
The escalating rhetoric and military exchanges have weakened hopes that the previous diplomatic understanding could lead quickly to a durable end to the conflict.
Strait of Hormuz Remains at Centre of Crisis
The renewed confrontation is closely linked to control and security around the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies passed before the current disruption.
Washington says its latest military actions are intended partly to prevent Iran from threatening commercial shipping and laying additional mines in the waterway.
Iran, meanwhile, has threatened further restrictions on shipping through Hormuz as part of its confrontation with the United States.
The security situation deteriorated further this week after two crude tankers were struck by unidentified projectiles while transiting the strait. Responsibility for those incidents has not been established.
The tanker attacks should therefore not be automatically attributed to Iran merely because they occurred during the broader US-Iran confrontation.
Oil Prices Rise as Conflict Escalates
Energy markets reacted sharply to the renewed fighting.
Brent crude rose another 0.8% to around $95.40 a barrel in Wednesday trading after both major oil benchmarks had already gained more than $4 on Tuesday. US West Texas Intermediate was up about 0.5% at $90.66.
The increases reflected renewed concern that continued military action could further disrupt energy shipments from the Gulf.
For oil-importing economies, including Pakistan, prolonged disruption around Hormuz could feed into higher crude costs, freight and insurance premiums and broader inflationary pressures.
Civilian Toll Requires Continued Verification
The reported strike on the wedding gathering is likely to intensify scrutiny of the civilian consequences of the renewed US campaign.
Iranian authorities have presented the incident as evidence that civilians were hit during US military operations, while CENTCOM has described the overall campaign as targeting Iranian military capabilities.
Independent reporting has corroborated the existence of damage at the reported wedding site, but casualty figures have evolved as Iranian authorities released additional information.
For publication, the key distinction is therefore between what is confirmed and what remains attributed: the United States confirms carrying out strikes in Iran; Iranian authorities report that those strikes caused at least 11 deaths and that one affected a wedding gathering; the precise circumstances and full casualty count remain subject to further verification.
