CENTCOM has Launched an Internal Investigation Into a U.S. Strike that Reportedly hit a Wedding in Southern Iran During Tuesday’s Military Operations, Axios Reports
By AussieCossack
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper ordered the review on Wednesday. Investigators are examining drone footage and the procedures used to identify and verify the target.
Iran’s Red Crescent reports that five people were killed and 68 others injured.
U.S. Military Reviewing deadly strike on Iranian Wedding
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is conducting an internal review of a civilian casualty incident at a wedding during the strikes in Iran on Tuesday, U.S. officials say.
Why it matters: While it still hasn’t been confirmed that the incident was caused by the U.S. strike, it is one of the more significant civilian casualty incidents since the war began six months ago.
The most significant civilian casualty incident happened on the first day of the war when a U.S. strike hit a school, killing 150 people, most of them children.
The U.S. military investigation into that incident is expected to be finalized soon, according to a U.S. official.
Driving the news: According to the Iranian Red Crescent, a humanitarian network, five people were killed and 67 wounded in the blast that hit the home where the wedding was happening.
Iranian officials accused the U.S. of striking the building and killing civilians.
On Wednesday, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper ordered an internal review of the strike, U.S. officials said.
“We’re aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media, and we are looking into them. The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said.
What they’re saying: “We’re investigating it because obviously we care,” Vice President JD Vance said Thursday during a White House press briefing. “We want to know, and if we do make mistakes, again, this is a big difference between us and Iran. When our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to get better from them. So we’re investigating it very fully.”
Behind the scenes: U.S. officials said the strike in the area targeted a communication tower used for both civilian and military communications.
As part of the preliminary investigation, CENTCOM is reviewing footage from drones that monitored the area during the strike and the procedures used to identify the target, U.S. officials said.
A U.S. official said that in addition to checking whether munitions fired by the U.S. hit the wedding, the investigation will also look at the possibility that an errant Iranian munition fell near the home.
