Survivors recall deadly strike on wedding in southern Iran

Survivors of a strike that hit a wedding gathering in southern Iran are recalling the terrifying moments from their hospital beds. The attack in the coastal town of Kuhestak, near the Strait of Hormuz, killed five people and injured more than 60 others, according to officials.

Roghayeh Raisi, a resident of Kuhestak, described the sequence of blasts. "There was the first explosion, then the second, I believe they hit 3 times," she said. The blast caught her at the door of her living room. "I thought I'd gone blind. I threw my phone against the wall. I couldn't see anything. A shrapnel had hit my head and I was bleeding so badly."

The strike occurred on Tuesday during the latest round of American bombardment in southern Iran, which the U.S. military said was targeting air defenses, radar systems, and maritime assets. Reports from a rights group and Iranian media indicate a U.S. missile hit a home where dozens had gathered for a fisherman's daughter's wedding.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that he had been briefed on the incident. "We're investigating it very fully," he said, adding that the U.S. never targets civilians but acknowledged, "Sometimes things happen."

Thirteen-year-old Masoumeh Zarei was heading to the celebration with friends when the attack unfolded. "We were 4. Then there was a sound, right after that the (communications) tower was hit. We were thrown. One of us was martyred," she recounted.

Ebrahim Mallahi, another resident, described the chaotic rescue effort. "We rushed to the location, which was my sister's house," he said. "We sent the bride's father and other friends in to take the injured out, and I opened the road and prepared the cars."

Kuhestak lies along the coastline of the Strait of Hormuz, about 30 kilometers from Minab, where a separate missile strike on a primary school on February 28 reportedly killed over 100 children. The region remains on edge as the conflict continues.