Iran reported 18 deaths and 108 injuries Tuesday night after U.S. airstrikes hit targets across the country, including a wedding near the Strait of Hormuz where four people were killed and 67 wounded. The Iranian Red Crescent released video and images showing damage to a building and a fallen utility tower 136 meters away, verified by Reuters using satellite imagery. The strikes followed Iran’s missile and drone attacks on what it called U.S. assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq, ending a months-long lull in combat since July.
The escalation has drawn international alarm. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned attacks on civilians and called for an immediate halt to hostilities, citing obligations under international humanitarian law. Iran’s health minister confirmed the toll, while the U.S. military denied targeting civilians, attributing reports to Iranian state media. The Pentagon has not issued findings on a February strike on a girls’ school that killed 160 people, which may have resulted from outdated targeting data, according to sources.
Democratic lawmakers have pressed the administration for transparency, demanding the release of the Pentagon’s investigation into the school strike, but no report has been provided to Congress.
