Death toll rises to five after wedding attack in Sirik
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The death toll from a US airstrike that hit a wedding gathering in Sirik County, Hormozgan Province, has risen to five, Iranian authorities said Saturday.
Asiyeh Molaeinejad, 22, died from injuries sustained in the incident, according to the head of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.
Iranian authorities said more than 70 people were injured in the incident, which occurred during a wider wave of US airstrikes in areas along the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials said the gathering was a wedding celebration in Kohestak Port.
Five injured people remain hospitalized, according to the Hormozgan Governorate. Four are being treated in intensive care, while one remains in a regular ward.
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US Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said the military was investigating reports of the incident and reiterated that the US military "never targets civilians."
US Vice President JD Vance also said the incident was under investigation, while expressing skepticism about some of the Iranian reports.
"We're investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know," Vance said, adding that if the US military makes mistakes, "they learn from them."
US officials are examining several possible explanations for the incident, including the possibility of a direct strike, a missile ricocheting from another target, or an Iranian air-defense interceptor that went off course, according to reports.
