Civilian Toll Mounts as Iran War Escalates Again

Iran said 18 people were killed and another 108 wounded in US strikes on Tuesday night. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, a strike on a wedding ceremony near the Strait of Hormuz killed four people and wounded 67.

Fighting resumed after a period of relative calm since July and unsuccessful peace talks. Iran subsequently launched missile and drone attacks against what it described as US targets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. Kuwait’s military said on Thursday that further missiles and drones had been intercepted by its air defense systems.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was “deeply alarmed” by reports of civilian casualties, including the strike on the wedding, his spokesperson said. He also called for an immediate halt to military operations and reminded all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law.

The independent Human Rights Activists News Agency documented 3,636 deaths in Iran as of 7 April, including 1,701 civilians. The United States has reported 18 military personnel killed and more than 750 wounded. A spokesperson for US Central Command said the US military “never targets civilians”.

The Pentagon has yet to release its findings on the strike on a girls’ school in Minab, which killed 160 people. The conflict has also severely curtailed traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

(Reuters, bak)