ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Conflicting accounts between testimonies from locals alleging potential IRGC involvement over strikes in Iran which killed four civilians at a wedding party and official narratives demands further investigation, a watchdog said on Wednesday, amid Iran’s request for international legal action over the alleged US strikes.
Four civilians attending a wedding party were killed and at least 63 others were injured in Kuhestak, a coastal city in Sirik in southern Iran bordering the Strait of Hormuz, on Tuesday following US strikes on IRGC bases south of Iran. The US strikes are part of a renewed escalation between Washington and Tehran that has started since Sunday.
“The sound of two drones” was heard “prior to the explosion,” said Haalvsh, a human rights organization monitoring southeastern Iran, citing Ali Mallahi, the owner of the house where his daughter’s wedding ceremony was held.
While the attack has been attributed to US fighter jets according to official accounts, Haalvsh noted on their telegram account that “the accounts of several [local] witnesses and individuals present at the scene differ from the official version.”
“Some citizens have raised the possibility that the drone observed or heard prior to the explosion may have belonged to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces,” the monitor said.
This underscores the need for an independent and detailed investigation, the type of munition used, or the delivery vehicle involved regarding a possible attribution to IRGC forces, stated Haalvsh, noting that “there is currently no independent and reliable evidence available to confirm this claim, and no definitive statement can be made regarding the identity or affiliation of the drone."
“What can be stated with greater certainty, at this point, is the occurrence of powerful explosions in close proximity to residential homes and a wedding venue, resulting in casualties and a large number of injuries,” the monitor noted, stating it is currently interviewing witnesses, and working to cross-reference independent accounts and analyze available evidence to verify the precise circumstances and the party responsible for the attack.
Iranian authorities rejected the account.
“Iranian authorities have vehemently accused the US for the incident. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a post on X, “If a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it’s Satan.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) on Wednesday sent a letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC), asking the Hague-based court to investigate the attack “allegedly carried out by forces of the United States of America,” claiming that it may constitute “war crimes.”
The attack came after US forces hit IRGC’s “air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites” on Tuesday. Iran responded with drone and missile strikes on alleged US bases in Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, and the Kurdistan Region.
Washington and Tehran have been locked in a renewed round of hostilities since Sunday, after both sides entered a period of cautious calm in late July following a confrontation that lasted for 13 consecutive days.
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)