The United States has attacked Iran over an Iranian strike on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz that left one crew member missing.

Satellite, visual and open-source evidence from Kuhestak challenges early claims that wedding casualties were merely collateral damage from a strike on a nearby telecommunications tower. A U.S. attack in Kuhestak, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province, hit a house hosting a wedding, killing at least four people and injuring 67. Initial accounts described the casualties as “collateral damage” from a strike on a nearby telecommunications tower. But analysis of images, CCTV footage and satellite data shows that the house and the tower were around 130 to 140 metres apart, while the building hosting the wedding appears to have been struck several times, separately from the tower. The attack on the evening of Tuesday, September 1, on a residential house in Kuhestak, in Sirik County, where a wedding was under way, has once again brought civilian casualties in the U.S.–Iran war into focus. The central question is whether the damage to the wedding venue resulted from an attack on the nearby telecommunications tower, or whether the building itself was directly hit. The U.S. military has provided no detailed account of what it intended to hit in Kuhestak. As with similar strikes in Lamerd, Qeshm and Minab, it has offered only general statements. In the absence of such an account, photographs, CCTV footage and satellite imagery provide the clearest available evidence for reconstructing what happened. Evidence drawn from these sources raises serious questions about the initial claim that the casualties were simply collateral damage from a strike on the tower. According to the latest figures released by Iranian authorities, at least four people were killed and 67 injured in the strike on the wedding. Iran’s Health Ministry said that U.S. attacks across the country on Tuesday night killed 18 people and injured 108. The Iranian Red Crescent confirmed four deaths at the wedding, while reports indicate that women and children were among those injured. Reuters matched photographs from the scene with satellite imagery, confirming the location of the damaged building and its distance from the collapsed telecommunications tower. The reported victims of the Kuhestak strike were four-year-old Amir-Ali Karimi, 16-year-old Mohammad Mollahi, Kolthoum Mollahi and Zarkhatoun Taheri. Images from hospitals in the area have also shown injured children and their families. Ali Mollahi, the owner of the house where the wedding was being held, told Iranian state television that everyone in the house was a civilian and that an ordinary wedding celebration had been under way. Amir Ali Karimi, a 4-year-old, was killed on the evening of Shahrivar 10 in a U.S. attack on the port of Kuhestak in Sirik County, Hormozgan Province. How Far Was the Telecommunications Tower from the Wedding? U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, said that its wave of strikes that night had targeted air-defence and radar systems, naval assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities and “IRGC communications centres.” No party has disputed that the attack in the area was carried out by the United States. In the first hours after the strike, reports circulated claiming that the main U.S. target had been a telecommunications tower close to the wedding venue. Some Telegram channels described the house as being “next to an IRGC communications tower” or “across the street” from it. Another video claimed that an IRGC air-defence missile had struck the building following an unsuccessful interception. There was no substantial evidence for this claim, and it was quickly abandoned. But the distance between the tower and the house was considerably greater than the “few metres” or “across the street” suggested in some of those early reports. In its independent examination of the incident, Reuters matched images from the scene with satellite imagery and calculated the distance between the collapsed telecommunications tower and the damaged building at 136 metres, or 149 yards. Another open-source geolocation placed the distance at around 430 feet, approximately 131 metres. BBC Verify has also said that no visible military facilities could be identified within the area it examined. Despite differences in measurement methods, the available independent evidence therefore indicates that the telecommunications tower and the house that was struck were not a few metres apart, but approximately 130 to 140 metres from one another. A different account was published by the news organisation Haalvsh, citing local sources. According to its follow-up report, the telecommunications tower stood around 200 metres from the house where the wedding was taking place and was struck first by a missile. Two drones then hit the wedding building, according to Haalvsh’s sources. Haalvsh stressed that without an independent inspection of the site and analysis of the munition debris, it could not definitively identify the type of weapon used or establish responsibility for the individual strikes. What Does the Footage Show? Available footage appears to show five separate impacts in Kuhestak: the first three apparently striking the house where the wedding was taking place, the fourth hitting the telecommunications tower, and a fifth apparently striking the wedding venue again. Several other residential houses were also damaged. Al Jazeera, after examining the available footage, reported that a video filmed from a distance shows at least one direct strike on the roof of the building where the wedding was taking place. Other footage shows the telecommunications tower being struck and destroyed. Weapons experts have said that fragments of munitions recovered at the scene in Kuhestak may be from a variant of the AGM-84K SLAM-ER air-launched cruise missile, although the type of weapon used has not yet been independently confirmed. It remains unclear why the house appears to have been struck several times. The United States has remained silent and has not claimed that the house or wedding venue was located inside a military area. So far, no party has publicly described the wedding venue itself as a military site. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Radio Zamaneh | رادیو زمانه (@radiozamaneh) Why was the house struck? We do not know. What the available footage does challenge, however, is the early claim that the wedding casualties were simply “collateral damage” from an attack on the telecommunications tower. CCTV footage appears to show the residential building being struck several times, separately from the tower. CENTCOM has so far provided no detailed operational explanation for what happened at this location. Captain Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, responded to reports of civilian casualties by saying: “Unlike the IRGC, the U.S. military does not target civilians.” He added that the United States was aware of reports that initially appeared in Iranian state media. His response did not clarify what the designated target in Kuhestak had been, why the residential building was hit, or whether the U.S. military intends to investigate the incident. From Minab and Lamerd to Qeshm Kuhestak is not the first case in this war to raise questions about target selection and civilian casualties. The deadliest example came on the first day of the war, February 28, when a girls’ school in Minab was struck. Around 160 civilians, most of them schoolchildren, were killed. The Pentagon opened an investigation into the incident, but six months later it has still not released its findings. Two sources familiar with the investigation previously told Reuters that one possibility under examination was the U.S. military’s use of “outdated targeting information.” If U.S. responsibility for the incident is formally confirmed by the Pentagon, Minab would rank among the deadliest incidents involving civilian casualties caused by a U.S. military operation in recent decades. This may also explain why publication of the Pentagon’s investigation has repeatedly been delayed. The case of Lamerd resembles Minab, although on a smaller scale in terms of civilian deaths. Investigations by the Associated Press and Airwars examined the February 28 strikes on a sports complex and two residential neighbourhoods in Lamerd. According to their findings, three missiles, most likely Precision Strike Missiles, or PrSMs, exploded in the area, killing at least 21 civilians, including seven children. Some of the victims were as far as 50 metres from the points of explosion, while damage was documented up to roughly 170 metres away. The significance of those findings lies partly in the type of munition involved. The PrSM detonates in the air, dispersing tens of thousands of dense metal fragments at high velocity in multiple directions. By analysing photographs, videos and satellite imagery, Airwars and the Associated Press concluded that the pattern of holes left in buildings, vehicles and streets was consistent with the characteristics of this weapon. The U.S. military has confirmed using PrSMs in the Iran war but has denied responsibility for the Lamerd strike. At the same time, the independent investigation by the two organisations found no evidence that military or security personnel had been killed, or that military facilities had been struck, at any of the three locations they examined. There have also been reports of civilian targets being hit in Qeshm. In a U.S. attack on Qeshm on July 30, a residential house was struck, killing a couple and their two-year-old child and injuring two other children in the family. The Associated Press had also previously reported that a U.S. strike on a desalination facility in Qeshm disrupted the water supply to around 30 villages. In other words, not only civilians but also infrastructure essential to their daily lives has been hit. The UN Response and the Laws of War UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern over rising civilian casualties following reports of the strike on the wedding in Kuhestak and called for an immediate halt to military operations. His spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said the secretary-general condemns “all attacks against civilians” and stressed that all parties to the conflict are required to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. Under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian objects must not be targeted. An attacking party must distinguish between military and civilian targets, take feasible precautions before an attack to minimise harm to civilians, and refrain from an attack when the expected incidental civilian harm would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. The mere presence of a telecommunications tower around 130 to 140 metres from a civilian residence would not, by itself, establish that civilian casualties at the house were lawful collateral damage. It must first be established whether the tower itself, given the way it was being used at the time, constituted a legitimate military objective. Investigators would then need to examine the type of munition used, its precision, what information operational planners had—or could reasonably have obtained—about the presence of dozens of civilians around the target, and what precautions they took. Footage appearing to show direct strikes on the wedding venue, however, takes any investigation beyond the question of collateral damage alone. If it is officially confirmed that several projectiles struck the wedding building directly and separately, an investigation could no longer focus only on the blast radius or fragmentation produced by a strike on the telecommunications tower. It would then have to establish why the building itself was selected for targeting and on what intelligence the U.S. military considered it a lawful military objective.

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Breaking: US military hits three Iranian nuclear sites, confirms Trump. Escalation in Middle East tensions. Developing story.

A new U.S. intelligence report found that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months after a U.S. strike and was not “completely and fully obliterated” as President Donald Trump has said, according to two people familiar with the early assessment.

YouTube video by B.C. Begley

Investing.com - Markets have reacted with caution to U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend, although increased tensions in the Middle East are likely heighten economic uncertainty and put upward pressure on oil prices, according to analysts at ING. In a note to clients, the analysts flagged that, along with uncertainty around the immediate impact of the U.S. attacks, "the longer-term consequences are also unclear at this time." Tehran has yet to give any clear indication of how it plans to respond to the U.S. attacks on three nuclear facilities on Saturday, saying that it reserves all options to defend itself. The Islamic republic has also warned of "everlasting consequences" and stepped up its aerial bombardments of Israel, which kicked off the violence 11 days ago with its own surprise strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Iran has called Trump a "gambler" and seemed to hint that the weekend strikes expanded the range of legitimate targets for its military. Trump, meanwhile, raised the question of regime change in Iran in a social media post on Sunday. Media reports in Iran have suggested that the country is mulling blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for oil and gas supplies being sent around the world from the Middle East. Other reports have said that Iran may target one of several U.S. military bases located throughout the region. Traders are now keen to see how the sudden strikes, which came after Trump previously suggested that he would take as long as two weeks to deliberate on a possible attack on Iran, could impact sentiment, inflation and interest rates. Much of the worry over price growth stems from oil, with traders warning in recent days that an escalation in the Israel-Iran fighting could lead to a disruption of key crude supplies, particularly along the Strait of Hormuz along Iran's southern coast. The ING strategists argued that there "appear to be four main options" before Iran: "[F]ull escalation, potentially drawing in other nations such as China or Russia; disruption of the Strait of Hormuz; active or passive support for terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Europe; or, alternatively, taking no action at all." Still, they noted that the lack of "fire sales and panic in financial markets" after the U.S. strikes is "probabaly [...] a sign of the times we are living in." "It seems we've all grown accustomed to just how volatile and unpredictable the world has become," the ING analysts wrote, adding that "[a]long with the threat stemming from higher oil prices, uncertainty at elevated levels is another dampening factor for economic activity in the U.S. and eurozone" which is already facing a possible tariff-related headwinds.

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures are muted and oil climbs in the aftermath of sudden U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. Uncertainty still surrounds Iran’s response to the attacks and how they could impact global oil and gas supplies, while U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about possible "regime change" in the country. Elsewhere, the U.S. Senate is aiming to pass its version of a Trump-backed fiscal bill and traders are keeping tabs on business activity data due out later on Monday. 1. Futures subdued U.S. stock futures hovered around the flatline, as investors assessed the fallout from a U.S. decision to carry out strikes against Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. By 03:36 ET (07:36 GMT), the Dow futures contract had slid by 25 points, or 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures were mostly unchanged. The main averages on Wall Street ended in the red on Friday, with investors anxiously eyeing developments in a multi-day air war between Israel and Iran -- and the potential involvement of U.S. military forces in the conflict. President Trump erased much of this uncertainty when he announced that strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran had been conducted on Saturday. Markets are now keen to see how the decision, which came after Trump previously suggested that he would take as long as two weeks to deliberate on a possible strike on Iran, could impact sentiment, inflation and interest rates. 2. Oil rises after U.S. strike on Iran Much of the worry over price growth stems from oil, with traders warning in recent days that an escalation in the Israel-Iran fighting could lead to a disruption of key crude supplies, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz along Iran’s southern coast. Some analysts have flagged worries that a spike in oil prices could refuel inflationary pressures, potentially leading the Federal Reserve to further delay potential interest rate cuts. Brent crude futures for August jumped by 0.8% to $76.11 per barrel by 03:38 ET on Monday and West Texas Intermediate crude future rose by 0.9% to $74.48 a barrel. Both of the contracts have pared back some earlier gains. "Since the U.S. targeted Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, supply risks for energy markets have increased significantly amid uncertainty about how Iran will retaliate," said Warren Patterson, Head of Commodities Strategy at ING, in a note. 3. Investors eyeing Iran’s response Tehran has yet to give any clear indication of how it plans to respond to the U.S. attack, saying that it reserved all options to defend itself. The Islamic republic has also warned of "everlasting consequences" and stepped up its aerial bombardments of Israel, which kicked off the violence 11 days ago with its own surprise strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Iran has called Trump a "gambler" and seemed to hint that the weekend strikes have expanded the range of legitimate targets for its military. Trump, meanwhile, raised the question of regime change in Iran in a social media post on Sunday. Media reports in Iran have suggested that the country is mulling blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil and gas supplies being sent around the world from Middle East. Other reports have said that Iran may target one of several U.S. military bases located throughout the region. Some analysts have argued that, for financial markets, although tensions in the Middle East have now intensified, the strikes have removed at least one shroud of uncertainty around whether Trump would move to strike Iran. "With the overhang of uncertainty lifted somewhat, the weekend events could wind up being a net positive," analysts at Vital Knowledge said in a note to clients. Still, they flagged that, "once geopolitics fade from the headlines," investors will still be facing "headwinds" from longstanding issues like tariffs and fiscal policy. 4. Senate’s version of tax-and-spending bill in focus The U.S. Senate is reportedly aiming to hold a vote on their version of a massive tax-and-spending package this week. Republican lawmakers are pushing to approve their update to the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," send it back to the House, and then have it placed on Trump’s desk for signing by a self-imposed deadline of July 4. Backed by Trump, the measure includes the extension of 2017 tax cuts instituted during his previous term in office and increased expenditures on defense and border security. Some of these costs would then be offset by slashes to expenditures on entitlements like Medicaid, a federal health insurance program for low-income Americans that covers more than 71 million people. But the Senate parliamentarian, the rules arbiter for the upper chamber, has issued recent guidelines stating that a selection of items in the package do not fall within budgetary rules. The nonpartisan referee flagged that Republican provisions such as a reduction in funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other financial watchdogs may not be passed by a simple majority in the Republican-controlled Senate. The GOP has been planning to use the so-called budget reconciliation process to help overcome Democratic opposition and pass the broader fiscal bill. In this process, some budget-related provisions can be approved by a simple majority instead of the Senate’s typical 60-vote threshold. 5. PMIs ahead On the economic calendar, investors will be keeping tabs on business activity figures for June. S&P Global’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index is seen dipping to 51.1 from 52.0, while the services gauge is tipped to fall to 52.9 from 53.7. The numbers will serve as a precursor to a range of economic data points due out this week, including a reading of consumer confidence on Tuesday and an inflation-measure closely followed by the Federal Reserve on Friday. Consumer confidence in the U.S. has slumped over the past few months, as Americans express fears over the impact of Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda on inflation and growth. Yet price gains have remained relatively benign and hopes for a détente in global disputes over the levies have been bolstered by talks between the U.S. and China. Which stock should you buy in your very next trade? AI computing powers are changing the stock market. Investing.com's ProPicks AI includes 6 winning stock portfolios chosen by our advanced AI. In 2024 alone, ProPicks AI identified 2 stocks that surged over 150%, 4 additional stocks that leaped over 30%, and 3 more that climbed over 25%. Which stock will be the next to soar?