The explosion that took place at a wedding celebration in southern Iran on Tuesday was likely the result of a direct hit by a US munition, news agency Reuters reported. The claim has also been made by the Iranian media after five people were killed in the blast at the wedding in Kushetak.
While the United States has not claimed responsibility for the strike, Reuters cited an analysis by its weapons experts to allege the role of Washington. The experts, who reviewed images and video verified by the news agency, believe that the wedding came under a direct attack by a US munition and the explosion was not caused due to a ricochet off another target.
US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said the United States was investigating the strike on the Iranian wedding, which led to the death of three women and two children. "We're investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know," he said.
{{/usCountry}}US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said the United States was investigating the strike on the Iranian wedding, which led to the death of three women and two children. "We're investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"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.
US never targets civilians, claims military
The US military said it was aware of the Iranian reports about the deadly blast at the wedding but it "never targets civilians".
According to a US official, quoted by Reuters, Washington was examining several possible explanations for the deaths at the wedding. Investigators were considering whether the casualties resulted from a US attack, debris or a ricochet from an Iranian air-defence missile, or a defensive interceptor that veered off course.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s administration is under mounting pressure at home to bring the conflict to an end. The war has begun to hurt Trump’s approval ratings, adding political pressure as the November midterm elections approach.
Reuters' experts analyse visuals
According to Reuters, it shared video and images of the incident with four military weapons experts who concluded that the damage was consistent with a direct hit. It did not appear to be an outcome of a secondary damage from a munition ricocheting off a different target.
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Three experts assessed the munition as more likely to have been a US weapon than an Iranian air-defence missile that had gone off course. One of them said the weapon may have failed to hit its intended target.
The incident occurred roughly six months after a missile strike on a primary school that Iranian authorities said killed more than 175 children and teachers. Reuters had previously reported that an initial US military assessment, conducted internally, indicated that American forces were likely responsible for that strike. The Pentagon has not publicly disclosed the results of its investigation.