US strikes on Iran kill civilians at wedding

The sudden escalation of the Iran war has cast renewed attention on its civilian toll after Iran reported 18 dead in the latest U.S. assault, including four killed and dozens wounded at a wedding ceremony near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's health minister said 18 people were killed and 108 wounded in Tuesday night's U.S. strikes across Iran. The Iranian Red Crescent said four people were killed and 67 wounded at the wedding. The return of combat operations has alarmed countries throughout the region, as Iran launched missile and drone attacks against what it said were U.S. assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. The guns had largely gone silent since the previous exchange in July, although peace talks failed to advance. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to unleash yet more military force, even though the war is unpopular at home and has driven up the cost of gasoline. Iran has remained defiant despite suffering heavy military and economic losses. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was deeply alarmed by reports of civilian casualties and called for an immediate cessation of military action. The deaths would be in addition to the 3,636 people documented as killed in Iran as of April 7, including 1,701 civilians, according to the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA). The U.S. has reported 18 military personnel killed and more than 750 wounded. The wedding incident recalled the blast at a school in Iran — Minab that killed 160 people on the first day of the war. The Pentagon has yet to issue an official finding on the Iran — Minab strike. Iran has also responded by threatening any oil tankers that transit the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian authorization, severely curtailing traffic in a waterway that before the war carried 20% of the world's oil supply.