Iran Red Crescent requests ICC investigation into US strike on wedding party

The Iranian Red Crescent Society has requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate a missile attack by the United States that struck a wedding party in the southern town of Kuhestak, resulting in at least four fatalities and 67 injuries. In a letter to the ICC on Wednesday, the humanitarian organization emphasized the need for an "independent, impartial, thorough, and effective investigation" due to the civilian nature of the location. The strike occurred at 9:30 PM local time (18:00 GMT) on Tuesday, killing four individuals, including two women and two children aged four and 16, while the majority of the injured were also reported to be women and children. The Red Crescent indicated that the death toll may rise due to the critical condition of some injured individuals. The organization stated that the attack could be classified as a "war crime," citing international law that prohibits attacks on civilians or civilian objects and warns against strikes that could cause disproportionate civilian harm. The US Central Command acknowledged awareness of the reports but asserted that it does not target civilians. In response, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, rejected the US claim, referencing previous US strikes on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. He noted on X that such attacks have also been depicted in US media. Iran and the US are not parties to the ICC’s Rome Statute; however, human rights group Dawn mentioned that Iran could accept the court’s ad hoc jurisdiction over crimes committed on its territory from a specific date. The missile strike occurred amid a series of US attacks on Iranian coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz, with the US accusing Tehran of planning strikes against US troops and commercial shipping in the region. Iran’s Ministry of Health reported that at least 18 people were killed and 142 injured in the strikes on Tuesday. Iran's UN envoy, Gholamhossein Darzi, urged the UN Security Council to condemn the attack in Kuhestak, labeling it a "horrific and appalling crime" and asserting that the deliberate targeting of civilians constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law. Iranian authorities reported that at least 3,468 individuals were killed in the initial phase of the war that began on February 28 and ended with a ceasefire on April 8. A second round of hostilities from July 27 to August 24 resulted in an additional 59 deaths and 666 injuries. The deadliest attack of the war occurred on February 28, destroying an elementary school in Minab and killing at least 156 individuals, including 120 children. Other strikes that day targeted a sports hall in Lamerd, resulting in 21 fatalities, including four children. Over the course of more than six months of conflict, the US and Israel have conducted strikes on various facilities in Iran, including oil and gas sites, fuel depots, factories, airports, ports, bridges, power installations, medical centers, and water facilities.