Iranian town mourns after devastating wedding strike leaves unimaginable grief

A predominantly Baloch town in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province is mourning its dead after a strike on a wedding killed at least four people, including a child, and injured more than 60, according to local authorities.

The blast hit around 9.30pm on 1 September in Kuhestak, a small coastal community on the Strait of Hormuz, turning a night of celebration into one of devastation.

In the aftermath, videos shared on social media by friends and relatives of the wedding couple showed rubble, flower garlands and decorations scattered among debris and bloodied shoes.

Asked about the strike on Thursday, the US vice-president, JD Vance, said the US would never target civilians in combat but that “sometimes things happen,” adding that he was sceptical of Iran’s reports. He did not acknowledge the killings had been confirmed by an internationally recognised humanitarian body.

According to Iranian state media and people interviewed by CuriosityNews, the house belonged to Ali Mallahi, a local fisher celebrating his daughter’s wedding. In a video published by state media, Mallahi stood amid the rubble and said he was saddened by the attack but thanked God that the casualties were not higher.

Residents said the celebrations had only just begun, with friends and family waiting for the bride and groom, and many guests yet to arrive for the henna ceremony.

Witnesses who spoke to CuriosityNews said the attack had left residents angry and in deep mourning.

Ahmad*, a local barber who witnessed the aftermath, said the entire neighbourhood had been devastated. “I don’t really have words. Ours is a small town and we all know each other and are brothers. We are all mourning. I visited the house and the media won’t report it, but it wasn’t just one house. Many houses around the site have been damaged and neighbours were directly hit by sharp objects when the explosions happened.”

“We are not carrying coffins on our shoulders, we are carrying the dark future that awaits us all in the south,” Ahmad added.

Moein Arjomand, director of the Balochistan Human Rights Documentation Network, said local responders were facing growing obstacles investigating the explosion. “Our team has been facing a lot of difficulties due to the internet [shutdown] and witnesses and relatives telling us they were banned from speaking to any foreign rights groups and foreign media,” he said.

Despite the restrictions, locals and relatives of the couple have continued sharing videos documenting the aftermath. In one video, Yaqoob Mallahi, a relative of the bride, shared footage of his seven-year-old son, Sepehr, lying in a hospital bed with his head bandaged.

Arjomand said at least six victims remained in serious condition in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Minab, about 18 miles from the town.

A video posted by local activists showed the family of Amir Mohammad Karimi, the four-year-old victim, mourning over his body as he was buried on Thursday. A 16-year-old boy, Mohammad Mallahi, was also killed by shrapnel while riding his motorbike nearby.

Ahmad said: “We have another funeral on Friday, this time a young woman, and we will all be there. I can only pray to Allah that no more of our blood is shed and our injured come back home.” He was referring to Asiyeh Molainejad, 22, another relative of the bride, who was declared dead on Thursday.

Farzin Kadkhodaei, a human rights activist from Baluchistan, said: “The human cost is devastating. These were Baloch civilians gathered for a wedding, and losing their lives in the middle of what should have been a joyful occasion is heartbreaking.”

Chakar Baloch, 35, a fisher, said the attack reinforced a feeling among local people that civilians along the Makran coast were being placed in the path of conflicts over which they had little control.