US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday that Washington is investigating reports that an American strike this week killed four people, including children, during a wedding celebration in southern Iran.
The remarks came even as he voiced scepticism about the details emerging from Tehran.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Vance said Iranian state media's account of the incident could not be taken at face value.
"I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what's happened in the conflict thus far, so I'm extremely skeptical of this," he said, adding that Washington did not currently have independent confirmation either way.
VIDEO | Washington DC: Addressing media, USA Vice President JD Vance says, "I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what's happened in the conflict thus far, so I'm extremely skeptical of this. What I can say with 100 percent confidence is… pic.twitter.com/BV3cHRQ2xe
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 3, 2026
Iranian officials said the strike hit a home during a wedding gathering in the village of Kuhestak in Sirik County, Hormozgan province, on Tuesday night, killing at least four people, including two children aged four and 16, and injuring nearly 70 others.
ALSO READ: 50 People Injured, Four Killed In US Strikes On House Hosting Wedding; Iran Vows Firm Response
A fifth victim, a 22-year-old woman, later died of her injuries, according to Iranian media reports, which remain unverified independently. Tehran has called the strike a war crime and demanded an international probe.
US Central Command spokesperson Cmdr. Tim Hawkins had earlier confirmed the military was looking into the reports.
Vance reiterated that position, saying, "We're investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know." He drew a contrast with Iran's conduct in the conflict, saying, "This is a big difference between us and Iran — when our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to get better from them, so we're investigating it very fully."
The wedding strike is the latest flashpoint in months of hostilities between Washington and Tehran centred on the Strait of Hormuz.
ALSO READ: 'America Will Regret New Attacks': Iran Warns US Of 'Punishment' As Trump Says 'We Are Loaded Up'
It follows an earlier, more devastating incident in which a strike hit a girls' school in Minab, which Iranian authorities said killed more than 150 people, an attack the Pentagon has still not concluded its investigation into.
Asked separately whether the conflict would end before November's midterm elections, Vance declined to set a timeline and pushed back on the framing itself, saying, "I wouldn't call it a war."
When asked whether the war with Iran will end by November's midterm elections, Vice President JD Vance said, "I wouldn't call it a war."
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 3, 2026
He said the Trump administration will not set a timeline, arguing it would be “irresponsible for us to write out our strategy and our timeline… pic.twitter.com/Sq38SuSaP1
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