At approximately 9:30-10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 1 September, 2026, a series of alleged U.S. strikes killed five people - two children and three women - and injured up to 74 others at a wedding ceremony and surrounding areas in Bandar-e Kuhestak, Iran. A telecommunications tower, between 360 and 430 feet away from the celebration, was also struck, with reports the Kuhestak port pier was also potentially impacted. Although the U.S. military announced strikes in Iran on September 1st, no information was provided on the locations hit.
Four-year-old Amir-Mohammad Karimi (named by other sources as Amir-Ali Karimi, and reported by several to be six) was killed at the wedding, as was 43-year-old Kolsoom Mallahi-Nejandnia and 50-year-old Zarkhatun Taheri. A 16-year-old, Mohammad Mallahi, was riding his motorcycle near the communications tower when he was struck in the head and killed. Two days after the attack, a fifth victim - identified as 22-year-old woman Asieh Molaeinejad - died of her wounds, the Balochistan Human Rights Documentation Network reported. All of the deceased were members of the Baloch minority community in Iran. It is likely that many of those injured were also, as the town has a significant Baloch population.
The U.S. military did not publicly confirm conducting the strike but a "person familiar with the operation" told The Washington Post it was a U.S. strike, claiming there was a "high likelihood" the munition was targeting the communications tower and missed.
Those killed
16-year-old Mohammad worked as a fisherman, following in the footsteps of his father, Esmail. He was the youngest of six siblings in a family from Bandar-e Kuhestak, and had three sisters and two brothers. His body was so badly damaged in the strike, The New York Times reported, that his family had to use "the mobile phone found on his body to confirm it was him." A funeral was held for him the following day, which was captured in a video posted by the Balochistan Human Rights Documentation Network.
Amir, who was set to begin kindergarten, had been excited to attend the wedding, looking forward to a chance to “play, dance, and be happy with the family’s children.” He was with his 14-year-old sister, Kiana, at the time of the strike; the two were said to be holding hands. Kiana was seriously injured. When she heard the sound of the explosions, Amir's mother said, "she ran into the streets to search for her children, and found them covered with dust and shrapnel."
@Nournews_ir included a photograph of Amir, wearing a black shirt. Another photograph was shared by @Tasnimnews showing Amir post-death: with his body covered by a blue sheet, only his small feet are visible.
50-year-old Zarkhatun was married to an Ali Taheri, Ali is a member of the Gaherdow Village Council.
@mehrnews reported that while two of those killed died at the scene, two others died in the hospital “due to the severity of their injuries.” It is unclear which of the deceased this refers to.
22-year-old Asieh was from Bandar-e Pol and had traveled to attend the wedding as a guest. She died while receiving treatment for severe injuries at Minah Hospital two days after the attack.
The injured
Sources provided a range of figures for the injured, with initial reports claiming 63 people had been wounded. As the hours passed this number increased, with Iran’s Red Crescent Society reporting that 67 people were injured, and others reporting 68 and subsequently, 74. @Tasnimnews, first reporting the 63 wounded with information from the Sirik County Governor, specified that “more than 50 are children and women.” As such, a maximum figure of 22 women injured has been recorded - the maximum toll of children subtracted from 50. At least 19 of those injured were under 10.
The force of the detonation and the subsequent fire “left people trapped under the rubble,” according to Haalvsh. A local photographer, Kian, clarified to the New York Times that the strike hit the section of the wedding venue reserved for women, adding "That is why most of those injured are women and children." Both the bride and groom were injured and hospitalised.
Seven-year-old Sepehr Mallahi was injured. A video shared by the Balochistan Human Rights Documentation Network shows his father comforting him before he undergoes surgery. Another boy, Ahmad, was also injured, shown in a video shared by @isnamedia.
Mohammad Mallahi - known as “Mah Kalat” and no relation to the deceased Mohammad Mallahi - was also injured, sustaining wounds in his head, shoulder and leg. Mohammad is an artist and activist in local music and theatre in Sirik. In an interview from the hospital with @Nournews_ir, Mohammad recalled the events of the strike; his injured son can be seen in a nearby bed. “We were on our way to the wedding,” Mohammad said, “and were already nearby when we heard the sound of a fighter jet. Just as we arrived, the explosion occurred. It was a very powerful explosion.” He affirmed that many were injured, and that “all the people injured there were common people.” The scene was chaotic, with one man stressing that “blocks were falling and hitting people’s heads. And many small children and women that were there were terribly injured. So many.” One little boy, seen in a video from @isnamedia, was visibly distressed. He did not want to engage with photographers trying to capture his image, the boy’s father said, as he was “upset with everyone.”
Images published by local sources show 31 wounded, of whom most are children. The Red Crescent provided treatment to those injured - while some of the injured received minor injuries and were treated as outpatients, those more grievously wounded were transferred to hospitals in Sirik and Minab. Given the number of injured, hospitals put out calls for blood supplies, with the Balochistan Human Rights Documentation Network writing that “Abolfazl Hospital in Minab requires blood supplies, and eligible citizens have been asked to come forward to donate blood.” A doctor, interviewed by @Tasnimnews, reported that due to the scale of the attack, there were not enough ambulances to ferry people to the hospital; as a result, “most people personally transported their injured family members.” One ward was devoted entirely to caring for those injured in the incident; six of those injured “required intensive emergency care and were admitted to the ICU.” The majority, the doctor said, were women and children. “This really made our work difficult. When you see a small child crying out in pain, it really diminishes your ability to endure it; emotions take over. Seeing the injured children here, who had been subjected to this attack, was truly very difficult.”
@mehrnews shared a video taken at a hospital. One little girl, who appeared to have received minor injuries, says that she only “went to buy ice cream when they hit us.” Held in her father’s arms, she admits, “I was very scared.” Another little girl was interviewed by @Tasnimnews from her hospital bed. She had first heard the explosion at the pier, followed by one at the telecommunications tower. “After that, we heard something moving above us,” she recalled. “Then suddenly there was a sound and it hit the house. We were thrown some distance inside the house, into the room. Then it struck here too.” A fragment or stone hit her shoulder; it “started hurting a little.” She had wanted to “find somewhere where someone could help me,” but was preoccupied with worry for her friend, Asma. “Somehow, I managed to get outside by myself and went to my family. I didn’t even have shoes on. I also had several scratches. I went to my family. I did not see Asma. But I found out Asma's uncle had taken her to the house. So I felt better. I came inside but my shoulder was hurting.” Later in the day, at least 36 had been discharged, “given that their generous condition is favourable.”
The wedding ceremony was held at the home of Ali Mallahi; his daughter was the bride. @Tasnimnews shared a video capturing the damage to the home - the detonation ripped a hole in the roof. @farsna included a video showing debris littered across the house. Shoes, worn for the wedding, are scattered throughout. Ali, who owns a commercial dhow and a brick factory, spoke to Hormozgan News Qeshm News, recalling that it had been a “very distressing incident.” He was “still extremely worried and upset about what happened.” “I really don’t know what to say. All I can say is, thank God there weren’t more casualties.” @rasanknews, quoting Ali, reported that he “specifically said” that “two drones” were used.
One wedding guest, Motahareh, who had posted a story to her social media account ours before the wedding expressing her excitement for the event, admitted that her “whole body is shaking.” “There is no military facility anywhere around this house,” she stressed. “It is as if they were given precise coordinates and four missiles came down on a house where there was nothing but a wedding, with all those people there. God help us.”
The Secretary of the Council of Sunni Scholars of Sirik clarified that the wedding had not actually begun at the time of the strike, acknowledging that “if it had been later […] an even worse incident might have occurred.” @fatemhmerzakhan included a video of the beginning of wedding festivities, showing men dancing and signing, with a timestamp of 21:50.
@mahsaaei reported that three rockets were used in the strike, with the Balochistan Human Rights Documentation Network alleging that “at least five explosions” occurred.
@mehrnews reported that the telecommunications tower was “about 136 meters (445 feet)” from the wedding venue. The source claimed that “common US guided weapons have a probable circular error of about 5 meters under normal conditions. Even in the case of GPS interference, it is usually reported to be up to about 30 meters” and considered the distance too large “to explain the ‘calculation error’ in aiming a precision weapon.”@ThomasBordeaux7 put the tower at 430 feet from the venue. BBC Persian supplied similar calculations, reporting that the wedding venue was “approximately 112 metres from the telecommunications tower” and that “there were no military facilities in the area” by the home in which the celebration was taking place. Other homes were also reported damaged.
The United Nations spoke to the incident, with spokesperson Stephane Dujarric emphasising that the “Secretary General is deeply alarmed by reports of civilian casualties, including a strike that reportedly hit a wedding ceremony in Iran.”
While CENTCOM admitted that they had “successfully completed a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets Sept. 1,” they did not speak to this specific incident. CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said that though they were "aware of reports," the U.S. military "never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC."