US Vice President JD Vance stated that American officials are examining allegations that a missile strike targeted a family wedding ceremony in Iran, though he expressed significant doubt regarding the accuracy of the claims made by Iranian state media.
“I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what’s happened in the conflict thus far. So I’m extremely sceptical of this,” Vance told reporters during a briefing at the White House. “I know that we’re investigating.”
The comments followed reports from the Iranian Cultural Revolution Supreme Council (IRCS), which claimed that shrapnel from a missile injured 67 people and killed at least four individuals during the event. State media subsequently reported that a fifth victim, a 22-year-old woman, died in the hospital shortly after the attack.
Local reports have identified the four deceased as Zarkhatoon Taheri, 50; Kolsum Mallahi Nazhdnia, 43; Mohammad Mallahi, 16; and four-year-old Amirali Karimi.
In retaliation for the alleged strike, Iran has launched new attacks against US military bases located in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Vance’s skepticism is understandable, but this needs independent verification. Civilian deaths are too grave to dismiss outright.
Iran attacking US bases in Kuwait and UAE after this incident is escalating fast. Hope diplomacy holds.
A four-year-old child killed at a wedding? This story breaks my heart regardless of who’s blaming whom.