US drone strike kills four at wedding in Iran’s Hormozgan

At least four people were killed and dozens more wounded in a US drone strike on a wedding party in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, near the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran said on Wednesday.

The attack is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat strikes between the US and Iran that have escalated since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards accused the US of a “heinous crime” and vowed retaliation. The wedding was taking place in a village close to the strategic waterway, a route for about a fifth of the world’s oil. Local officials said 87 people were hurt, with 18 in critical condition. The US has not commented on the claim.

This strike follows a US attack on August 5 that killed a top Iranian military commander in Iraq, and Iran’s retaliation with ballistic missile strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan. The August exchange marked one of the most direct military confrontations between the two nations in years. Iran has also blamed Israel for a series of assassinations and sabotage operations targeting its nuclear and military sites. The latest strike on the wedding party risks further destabilizing the already tense Gulf region, where shipping lanes and oil flows remain vulnerable.

Analysts warn the incident could push Iran to escalate its proxy conflicts in Iraq, Syria, or Yemen, or even target US forces directly. The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint, with Iran frequently threatening to block the waterway in response to sanctions or military pressure. The US maintains a naval presence in the region to safeguard shipping, but any escalation risks drawing in regional powers or triggering a broader conflict. For now, the Biden administration faces pressure to explain its actions while avoiding a full-blown crisis before the US election.