TEHRAN: A bomb that struck a wedding gathering in Iran’s Kuhestak reportedly came from a US aircraft, according to an investigation by The New York Times that examined videos, weapon fragments and footage released by US Central Command.
The intended target was reportedly a communications tower near Kuhestak’s port, while the Malahi family home hosting the wedding stood about 150 yards away.
The strike killed five people, including a six-year-old child and a 16-year-old boy reportedly identified through a phone found in his pocket. Sixty-seven people suffered injuries, most of them women and children, after the weapon struck the women’s section of the gathering.
Weapon Fragments Reportedly Match US-Operated JSOW
The Times reported that fragments filmed at the house appeared consistent with the tail fin and bolt pattern of a Joint Standoff Weapon, or JSOW, a precision-guided glide bomb operated by the United States.
Furthermore, CENTCOM footage of the military operation reportedly showed the same type of weapon mounted beneath an aircraft.
The roughly 150-yard distance between the communications target and wedding site suggests the civilian location may have been struck inadvertently rather than deliberately, according to the report’s analysis.
CENTCOM Questions Iranian Reporting as Civilian Toll Mounts
CENTCOM has so far responded by saying reports about the incident originated from Iranian state media. However, The New York Times conducted its own investigation into the strike.
Moreover, the newspaper said this was the fourth strike it had documented against a building with no identified military use since the latest fighting began.
Its investigation previously examined a Tomahawk strike that reportedly hit a school in Minab.
The wounded from the Kuhestak wedding were subsequently transported to the same hospital serving victims of that earlier attack.
🚨🇮🇷 REPORT: The New York Times traced the bomb that hit an Iranian wedding to an American jet
The target was a communications tower by Kuhestak’s port.
The Malahi family home, full of wedding guests Tuesday night, sits 150 yards away.
Fragments filmed at the house reportedly… https://t.co/Whyp4LVkic pic.twitter.com/d93cCPK4MM
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 3, 2026
