Iran Says 18 Killed, 142 Wounded in Latest US Strikes
TEHRAN, IRAN — WEB DESK: Iran’s Health Ministry says at least 18 people were killed and 142 wounded in the latest round of US attacks on the country, with women and children among the casualties as renewed fighting between Washington and Tehran intensifies regional tensions.
Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said the casualty figures covered attacks between the evenings of August 30 and September 2. Among those wounded were 61 women and 44 people under the age of 18, while the dead included two women and one child, according to the ministry.
The figures are Iranian government data and have not been independently verified in full. The ministry also did not provide a comprehensive location-by-location breakdown linking every casualty to individual strikes.
US Confirms Strikes on Iranian Military Targets
The United States has independently confirmed conducting the latest wave of attacks inside Iran, although it has not confirmed Iran’s overall casualty figures.
US Central Command statement on September 1 strikes
US Central Command said its forces completed a wave of strikes on September 1 targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities, including air-defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites.
CENTCOM said the operations followed what Washington described as recent attempted Iranian attacks against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US military personnel in the region. That explanation represents the US military’s stated justification for the attacks.
The American statement does not provide an overall Iranian death or injury toll.
Civilian Casualties Under Scrutiny
Concern over civilian casualties has intensified after one US strike reportedly hit a house where a wedding celebration was taking place in Kuhestak in southern Iran.
The Associated Press reported that the strike killed four people at the wedding — two women and two children — and wounded more than 60, citing Iranian state media and other sources. Weapons experts examining imagery of fragments said they appeared consistent with US-made guided munitions. CENTCOM said it was reviewing reports about the incident.
Iranian officials have condemned the wedding strike, while the US military has said that it does not intentionally target civilians.
The wider Iranian Health Ministry tally of 18 dead and 142 wounded appears to cover casualties from multiple attacks rather than the wedding incident alone.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the latest escalation and reported civilian deaths were prompting growing international concern, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling for an immediate ceasefire and expressing alarm over attacks affecting civilians.
Latest Toll Includes 44 Minors Among Wounded
The demographic breakdown released by Kermanpour underscores the reported civilian impact.
Of the 142 wounded, 61 were women and 44 were under 18. Two women and one child were among the 18 people reported killed.
However, those figures do not by themselves establish that all 18 people killed were civilians.
Reporting on the attacks indicates that Iranian military and paramilitary personnel were also among casualties in the latest strikes. For that reason, the total should not be described as “18 civilians killed.”
Likewise, the presence of women and minors among the casualties does not establish that US forces deliberately targeted civilians.
Renewed Fighting Ends Period of Relative Calm
The latest escalation followed a period of relative military calm between Washington and Tehran.
The renewed exchanges began with US attacks on Iranian military assets near the Strait of Hormuz, followed by Iranian missile and drone attacks aimed at US forces and facilities across the region.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the renewed US campaign would not last “too long,” while also warning that Washington remained prepared to strike Iran again if necessary. He said American forces had targeted Iranian radar, missile and mine-related capabilities.
Those remarks indicate expectations about the duration of the latest campaign, rather than a formal announcement that military operations have ended.
CENTCOM’s September 1 statement similarly said more than 50,000 US service members were operating across the Middle East and remained prepared for further operations if directed.
Iran Retaliates Across Region
Iran has responded to US attacks with missile and drone operations directed at American military assets in several Middle Eastern countries.
The renewed fighting has put regional governments on heightened alert and raised fears that attacks involving US bases and Iranian forces could draw neighbouring countries deeper into the conflict.
The confrontation is also affecting global energy markets because much of the latest military activity is centred around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil-shipping routes.
Reuters reported Thursday that Brent crude was trading around $95 a barrel as investors assessed the risk that renewed US-Iran fighting could disrupt regional energy supplies.
Casualty Figure Remains an Iranian Official Count
For publication purposes, the most important qualification is attribution.
The 18 deaths and 142 injuries are figures released by Iran’s Health Ministry. Independent international reporting confirms that US strikes occurred and that civilian casualties have been reported at specific locations, but a complete independent verification of Tehran’s nationwide tally was not available at the time of publication.
The accurate formulation is therefore:
“Iran says 18 people were killed and 142 wounded in the latest US strikes” — rather than presenting the entire casualty count as an independently established figure.
