Women Were Ululating, Then A Bang: Wedding Guest Recounts US Bombing On Iran

The wedding of Maryam Mallahi had brought hundreds of people together in the coastal village of Kuhestak in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, near the Strait of Hormuz, on Tuesday night. Families had gathered across two homes for the celebration when explosions struck without warning.  

The attack left five people dead, including a four-year-old child, while 67 others were injured, according to the Iranian Red Crescent, a humanitarian network. Wedding guests and rescue workers later searched through the rubble for survivors as the lights from the celebration were still on at the site.  

US CENTCOM Reviews Civilian Casualty Incident

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) is conducting an internal review of the civilian casualty incident, Axios reported. The cause of the strike has not yet been officially confirmed as a US strike. The incident has emerged as one of the significant civilian casualty incidents since the US-Iran war began six months ago.

"We're aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media, and we are looking into them. The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC," said CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins.

Speaking at a White House news briefing on Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance said he had no new information about the incident. He maintained that the US “never targets civilians in combat” and said the incident would be investigated, reported Al Jazeera.

A Reuters investigation, however, found that the strike on the wedding was likely a direct hit by a US munition rather than a ricochet from another target. 

Wedding Celebration Turns Into Tragedy

Zeinab Mallahi, who was among the wedding guests, recalled hearing women celebrating moments before the roof and walls of the house collapsed. She said the sound of the attack continued to haunt her after the incident.

“I still hear the voices of the women who were ululating, and then suddenly the roof of the living room and the walls came down on us. That sound follows me from night into day and from day into night,” Mallahi told Drop Site News.

According to the account, one projectile struck the roof of a home, creating a crater around 1.5 metres deep in the floor. Another hit a date palm, which fell into a wall. Guests began screaming and running in different directions as they tried to understand what had happened.

Bride's Father Says House Was in Residential Area

According to Ali Mallahi, a local fisherman and the bride's father, around 350 people had gathered for the wedding. He said the homes were located in a completely residential area and that there were no military facilities nearby.

He said his first thought was that a gas cylinder had exploded. When he reached the other house, he found people running in different directions and realised the scale of what had happened.

The strike killed four people at the scene: Amir Ali Karimi (4), Mohammad Mallahi (16), Kolsoom Mallahi Nezhadnia (43) and Zarkhatoun Taheri (50). Two days later, Asieh Molaeinezhad (22), who had suffered critical injuries and was receiving intensive care, died. The death count rose to five, while at least 60 others were injured.