A U.S. munition likely struck a wedding celebration in southern Iran, killing four people and injuring at least 68 others, according to an analysis of verified images and video by weapons experts cited by Reuters.

The explosion occurred on September 1 in the small town of Kuhestak, where dozens of people had gathered at a private home for a wedding ceremony. Evidence reviewed by Reuters suggests the munition struck the roof of the building directly rather than ricocheting from another target.

Four military weapons experts examined photographs and video of the damage. Three of them said the munition was likely a U.S. weapon rather than an Iranian air-defense missile.

Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal technician, said the damage appeared to have been caused by a munition that detonated on or just above the roof. He said the visible damage could not have been caused by fragments from a nearby strike on a telecommunications tower.

Retired British Army Brigadier Gareth Collett also concluded that the evidence pointed toward a U.S. weapon. He said the available evidence was more consistent with a 500-pound air-dropped munition than an Iranian air-defense missile.

Sebastian Schutte, a research professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, also reviewed the material. He said the impact angle did not appear consistent with an air-defense missile and agreed that the damage was unlikely to have resulted from a ricochet.

The U.S. military had announced strikes across southern Iran on September 1, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air-defense sites, radar systems and communications facilities. Two U.S. officials later said American forces had also struck a telecommunications tower in the Kuhestak area.

The tower was located approximately 135 meters from the wedding site, according to satellite imagery. Iranian media reported that the tower was hit at around 9:30 p.m. local time.

One U.S. official said investigators were considering several possible explanations for the casualties, including whether they were caused by a U.S. strike, a ricochet from an Iranian air-defense missile or an errant interceptor.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the government was investigating the incident. The U.S. military also said it was aware of reports about the deaths and was looking into what happened.

Human rights groups reported that four people were killed and at least 68 injured. Three of those killed were wedding guests: 43-year-old Kolsoom Mollahi Najhandania, 50-year-old Zarkhatoon Taheri and four-year-old Amir Mohammad Karimi. A fourth victim, 16-year-old Mohammad Mallahi, was killed while riding a motorcycle near the communications tower.

Reuters said it could not independently determine the precise cause of the casualties or verify that weapons fragments shown in Iranian media came from the attack on the wedding site.

One weapons expert identified some fragments shown on Iranian media as potentially belonging to a Joint Standoff Weapon, or JSOW, a type of glide bomb commonly used by the U.S. military. Reuters could not independently verify that the fragments came from the strike on the home.

Residents described scenes of destruction following the explosion. Photographs showed debris, damaged rooms and wedding decorations scattered through the building, while a large hole was visible in the roof.

A local resident told Reuters shortly after the strike that several houses had been destroyed and that people remained trapped beneath the rubble. Human rights groups also said local authorities had pressured witnesses not to discuss the incident with foreign media.

The strike has renewed concerns about civilian casualties during the U.S. war with Iran. It came more than six months after a missile destroyed a primary school in Minab, killing more than 175 children and teachers, according to Iranian officials.

Reuters previously reported that an initial internal U.S. military investigation found American forces were likely responsible for the Minab strike. The Pentagon has not publicly released the findings of its investigation.

The latest incident has also drawn attention to the repeated U.S. targeting of Iranian radar and communications facilities near the strategic Strait of Hormuz during the conflict.

Funeral ceremonies for the victims were held in the days following the attack. Residents gathered to mourn the dead, including four-year-old Amir Mohammad Karimi, whose funeral procession drew a large crowd in the town of Sirik.

An eyewitness described the community as being in a state of shock and mourning following the deaths.

SOURCE: Reuters, Nilo Tabrizy, Edward Carron, Idrees Ali and Emily Giles, September 4, 2026.