Washington: US Vice President JD Vance said that the United States is investigating Iranian claims that an air strike hit a wedding party, but that he is "skeptical" of reports coming out of Tehran. "We're investigating it because obviously we care. We want to know," Vance told reporters at the White House. "I know that we're investigating, 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."

According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, Tehran reported that the strike hit a home during a wedding ceremony in the village of Kuhestak in Sirik County in southern Iran, resulting in four fatalities and injuries to 70 others. Iranian media later reported that a fifth person, a 22-year-old woman, succumbed to her injuries at a hospital. Iranian mourners gathered outside the village, with some carrying caskets for a funeral ceremony.

The US military has not addressed the strike directly. US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Tim Hawkins stated that they are aware of the reports and emphasized that "the US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC," referring to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Iran has accused the United States of several deadly attacks on civilians during the conflict. Tehran cited an air strike on a girls elementary school in Minab as the deadliest incident, claiming it resulted in the deaths of 165 schoolgirls and teachers. UN experts have expressed "deep concern" about the incident.

The Pentagon announced an investigation but has not yet released its findings. When asked about the duration of the conflict, Vance refrained from providing a direct answer. "I wouldn't call it a war," he said, noting that major combat operations only lasted for six weeks following the US-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28. He stated that the US had "made it harder for them to rebuild that nuclear program."

Vance also mentioned that the US does not plan to engage in talks with Tehran unless it ceases its attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. "They've got to stop. It's simple," he said.