Iran Red Crescent Demands ICC War Crimes Investigation Into Deadly US Strike on Wedding Party

The Iranian Red Crescent Society has officially requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an independent investigation into a US missile strike that targeted a wedding party in the southern town of Kuhestak, resulting in at least four deaths and dozens of injuries.

In a formal letter sent on Wednesday, the humanitarian organization emphasized the civilian nature of the location, calling for a thorough probe into the attack, which occurred at 9:30pm local time (18:00 GMT) on Tuesday. The strike killed two women and two children—aged four and 16—while wounding 67 others, with officials warning the death toll could rise due to the critical condition of several victims.

The Iranian Red Crescent stated that the incident could constitute a war crime under international law, which explicitly prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian objects. Meanwhile, the US Central Command stated it was aware of media reports but maintained that its forces do not target civilians.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly rejected the US stance, with spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei criticizing the justification on social media. Although neither the US nor Iran are parties to the ICC's Rome Statute, human rights group Dawn noted that Iran could grant the court ad hoc jurisdiction by filing a declaration covering crimes committed on its territory.

The strike in Kuhestak occurred amid a broader wave of US attacks on Iranian coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Ministry of Health reported that Tuesday's strikes resulted in at least 18 deaths and 142 injuries, prompting Iranian envoy Gholamhossein Darzi to urge the UN Security Council to condemn the violence.