Iran Fires on U.S. Allies in Gulf After Strikes It Says Killed Four at a Wedding

TEHRAN, Iran —

Iran fired on American allies across the Gulf early Wednesday, retaliating for a night of U.S. airstrikes that Iranian state media said killed four people, including two children, at a wedding celebration, according to Fortune. The attacks ended a monthlong lull in a war between Washington and Tehran that has now stretched past six months and pushed oil prices sharply higher.

The U.S. military's Central Command said Tuesday's strikes hit Iranian air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and mine-laying equipment, according to CNBC. The strikes followed a weekend American attack on an island in the Strait of Hormuz that the Pentagon said targeted rocket launchers Iran planned to use to lay mines.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it struck U.S. military positions in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates in response, according to CNBC. Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed they had come under attack but reported no casualties, according to Fortune. In Iraq, Kurdish authorities said they intercepted 10 drones carrying explosives near Irbil, and Israel's military said Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, fired two explosive drones at its troops in southern Lebanon without causing casualties.

Wedding Strike Death Toll In Dispute

One U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, a coastal town overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's state news agency IRNA and state television said Wednesday that four people were killed, two women and two children, ages 4 and 16, and at least 68 were wounded. A provincial deputy governor had told state television just after the strike that five people died, and no explanation was given for the change, according to Fortune. The Iranian Red Crescent separately reported five dead, according to NBC News.

A weapons expert who examined images of debris from the site told The Associated Press the strike likely involved a JSOW guided bomb, though he did not rule out a SLAM-ER cruise missile and said multiple weapons may have hit the home, Fortune reported. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said the military was "aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media, and we are looking into them," and said the "U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC," according to NBC News.

Iran said four members of its Revolutionary Guard and 10 members of its Basij volunteer force died in the U.S. strikes, with 108 people injured overall, according to Fortune. Ebrahim Azizi, who chairs the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, wrote on X that "these crimes will not go unpunished."

President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. military could strike again. "It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any time we want," he told reporters, according to NBC News. He wrote on Truth Social that he was not interested in negotiating with Tehran, citing "almost total control of the Hormuz Strait" and Iran's collapsing economy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran will "continue to feel the squeeze" until it abandons any nuclear ambitions and ends support for armed groups, according to Fortune. Brent crude closed Wednesday at $95.63 a barrel, up more than 30% since the war began, according to CNBC. Iran's currency also hit a record low, trading at 2.20 million rials to the dollar, according to Fortune.