By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – The spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday that the “brutal” attack by the US hit a residence in the city of Kuhestak in Sirik early on Wednesday.
US strike hit a home hosting a wedding ceremony in the southern county of Sirik in Iran, killing at least five people, including a child, Iranian authorities said.
Reza Shahidiyan, the governor of Sirik county, told the IRIB state broadcaster that at least 63 people were wounded, added that 50 of the victims were women and children.
He added all those injured were later taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Minab and were “in stable condition,”.
A child, who survived the blast, said he heard fighter jets before he arrived at the venue.
“When we arrived there, an explosion occurred. It was very intense. Bricks, stones, and cement hit me in the face and head, and many others were injured. Everyone was just ordinary civilians,” semi-official Fars news agency quoted the child as saying.
US Central Command announced a new wave of strike against “Iranian military targets,” stated that it followed attempted attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“U.S. forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites. The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members,” read a statement.
It added, “More than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to continue executing operations directed by the Commander in Chief.”
The strikes follow a weekend exchange of fire between the two sides and come amid a continuing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded since the beginning of the US and Israel’s war on the country on February 28.
In a brief statement released on his Telegram channel, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that “the Iranian people and the Resistance Front have unforgettable lessons to teach the American enemy.”
Baghaei, the Iranian spokesman, has also promised to respond to the US’s latest attacks.
“This cruelty cannot be separated from the chain of atrocities that preceded in it,” he said.
He highlighted the attacks on the city of Minab and Lamerd on the first day of the war.
