(Central News Agency London/Washington, Comprehensive foreign news report on the 3rd) After analyzing photos and videos verified by Reuters, weapons experts pointed out that the explosion that destroyed a wedding in southern Iran on the 1st, killing four and injuring at least 68 people, was most likely a direct hit by a US ammunition, rather than the ammunition rebounding from other targets.
This incident in the small town of Kuhestak has once again raised concerns about the civilian casualties caused by the US-Iran war. It is also the most shocking case since a missile hit an Iranian elementary school in February, killing more than 175 children and teachers in the school.
The U.S. Central Command (U.S. Central Command) has announced that the U.S. military launched multiple attacks across southern Iran on September 1, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) air defense positions, radar systems and communication facilities. This wave of offensive is in retaliation for Iran's earlier attack on US military assets across the Persian Gulf.
US Vice President J.D. Vance said today that the United States is investigating the attack. "We are investigating because of course we are concerned. We want to know the truth," Vance told a White House press conference.
The US military said it was aware of the relevant reports and was investigating. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Witnesses said that on the night of the US attack, dozens of residents gathered at a house in Guhistak to attend a wedding. A munition likely hit the roof of the building during the wedding reception, according to photos and videos verified by Reuters and reviewed by experts.
Reuters shared images of the incident with four military weapons experts, who believed the damage at the scene was consistent with a direct hit, rather than secondary damage caused by the ammunition ricocheting off another target. Three of the experts said the munition was likely a U.S. weapon rather than an Iranian anti-aircraft missile that went off course.
One of the experts said the weapon may have simply missed its target.
Gareth Collett, a former brigadier general in the British Army who specializes in counter-terrorism bomb defusing and has a doctorate in explosives engineering, said: "Considering the number of bombs dropped, even with the most advanced guidance systems, this kind of thing will still happen occasionally."
Two U.S. officials who declined to be named said that the U.S. military carried out an attack on Guhistaq on September 1 and targeted the telecommunications tower in Guhistaq.
According to satellite imagery, the telecommunications tower was about 135 meters away from the wedding venue. Iranian media reported that the telecommunications tower was hit at about 9:30 pm local time.
One of the U.S. officials said the government was exploring various scenarios related to the wedding casualties, including whether the casualties were caused by a U.S. airstrike, an Iranian anti-aircraft missile ricocheting or an interceptor missile that went off course.
Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal technician and current weapons technology analyst at Armament Research Services, was one of the experts who reviewed relevant photos and videos at Reuters' request.
"Judging from the damage at the scene, it appears the ammunition exploded on contact with or above the roof," he said, adding that it was apparently a direct hit.
"The explosion damage visible at the scene cannot be caused by debris from an attack on a nearby telecommunications tower," Ball said. He said it was likely a U.S. weapon.
Collett agrees with Ball's analysis. "The evidence points to a U.S. 500-pound air-dropped munition, not an Iranian anti-aircraft missile," he said.
