Women gathered in a small Iranian town for a wedding. Then a deadly US strike hit

Women gathered in a small Iranian town for a wedding. Then deadly strikes hit 1 of 6 | Hundreds of people gathered in southern Iran on Thursday for the funeral of four people who Iranian state media said were killed in a strike on a wedding ceremony. 2 of 6 | A person walks past debris, seen through a shattered window at the site of what Iranian media said was a U.S. strike on a home where a wedding celebration was being held late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 3 of 6 | The point of impact is seen on the roof of a building that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 4 of 6 | The point of impact is seen on the roof of a building that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 5 of 6 | Damage is seen inside a home whose roof was destroyed in what Iranian media said was a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 6 of 6 | A hole on a wall is seen inside a home that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 1 of 6 Hundreds of people gathered in southern Iran on Thursday for the funeral of four people who Iranian state media said were killed in a strike on a wedding ceremony. Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 6 | A person walks past debris, seen through a shattered window at the site of what Iranian media said was a U.S. strike on a home where a wedding celebration was being held late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 2 of 6 A person walks past debris, seen through a shattered window at the site of what Iranian media said was a U.S. strike on a home where a wedding celebration was being held late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 6 | The point of impact is seen on the roof of a building that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 3 of 6 The point of impact is seen on the roof of a building that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 6 | The point of impact is seen on the roof of a building that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 4 of 6 The point of impact is seen on the roof of a building that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place there late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 6 | Damage is seen inside a home whose roof was destroyed in what Iranian media said was a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 5 of 6 Damage is seen inside a home whose roof was destroyed in what Iranian media said was a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 6 of 6 | A hole on a wall is seen inside a home that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) 6 of 6 A hole on a wall is seen inside a home that Iranian media said was hit by a U.S. strike while a wedding celebration was taking place late Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Kuhestak, Iran (AP) — Women with their children were gathered in the house and yard, waiting for the bride and groom to arrive to kick off a wedding celebration in this small town in southern Iran. Then an explosion turned the scene to carnage.The town of Kuhestak is still reeling from a barrage of strikes that killed five people during an American bombardment of southern Iran on Tuesday evening. Lampposts at the entrance to the town displayed large posters of four of the dead — a 4-year-old boy, a 16-year-old and two women. Another woman, one of more than 60 people wounded in the blasts, died Thursday at a hospital.On Friday, an Associated Press team made a rare visit to the town on the coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. Within a densely built neighborhood of houses and unpaved alleys stood the compound of the Mallahi family, which was struck as relatives celebrated their daughter’s wedding.A U.S. weapons expert who reviewed images from the scene said the evidence suggests the strikes were carried out with American guided bombs. Blast left a gaping hole in the roofAli Mallahi, a cousin of the bride, pointed to a gaping hole in the roof of a room that took a direct hit in one of the compound’s four houses. Big cracks ran through walls decorated with floral designs. Windows were shattered, and twisted sections of roofing and metal framework lay across the courtyard, among carpets and household appliances that the family had pulled out of other damaged rooms.