Iran attacks US bases after reported fatal strike on wedding kills 11 — Centcom says it 'never targets civilians' as oil hits $97 and Israel warns of response

2 September 2026 | Tehran, Washington, Jerusalem, Kuwait City — Updated 23:45 GMT

A fresh flare-up in hostilities has seen the US hit Iran with broader and more intense strikes, with Iranian state media reporting 11 people killed in overnight attacks including four people at a wedding.

A four-year-old boy was among those killed at the wedding after a series of US strikes near the Iranian southern port city of Sirik, Iran's Fars news agency reported. The Iranian Red Crescent said more than 50 people were injured when shrapnel hit a home where the wedding was taking place in Hormozgan province.

Washington has not officially responded to the wedding reports, but the US central command (Centcom) said it was aware of the allegations and that it "never targets civilians". Centcom said it struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets including "air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites".

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it responded to the attacks with strikes on US military bases in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq's Erbil. Kuwait said it came under missile fire and drone attacks, with a fire breaking out at a residential complex in the capital.

Donald Trump warned that if Iran retaliated, "they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level." Brent crude oil touched $97.04 a barrel, the highest since late July, after renewed clashes fueled concerns over supply.

Welcome to the latest world headlines — where military escalation, civilian casualties, and rising oil prices collide in the Middle East.

US Strikes Iran in Broader Attacks as Wedding Celebration Struck, Killing 11

A fresh flare-up in hostilities has seen the US hit Iran with broader and more intense strikes, with Iranian state media reporting 11 people killed in overnight attacks including four people at a wedding.

A four-year-old boy was among those killed at the wedding after a series of US strikes near the Iranian southern port city of Sirik, Iran's Fars news agency reported. The Iranian Red Crescent said more than 50 people were injured when shrapnel hit a home where the wedding was taking place in Hormozgan province.

Washington has not officially responded to the reports that the US military hit a wedding ceremony in southern Iran during a wave of strikes last night. The Associated Press reported the US military said it was aware of the allegations but that it "never targets civilians".

The US central command (Centcom) said it struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets including "air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites".

"The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz and against American service members," Centcom said in a statement last night. It also published footage purportedly showing the attacks.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the US military had "turned the wedding celebration of a young and respectable Sunni couple into a mourning by bombing a residential house in Sirik and reducing it to dust and blood", according to a statement carried by state media. "In this malicious attack, nearly 70 innocent people were hit, and four of them, including a child, were martyred."

The Iranian Red Crescent has written to the international criminal court (ICC) calling for legal action to be taken against the US following the reported attack on the wedding ceremony. The humanitarian organisation said the attack in Sirik, Hormozgan province, which it said killed four people including two children and injured dozens of others, could constitute a war crime.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's top negotiator, condemned the reported US attack, likening the US to "Satan". In a post on X, Ghalibaf listed two other US attacks in Iran in which several children were reported to have been killed. "If a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it's Satan," Ghalibaf said.

Iran Strikes US Bases in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq as Retaliation

The IRGC said it responded to the attacks with strikes on US military bases in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq's Erbil. The group claimed that a "number" of "enemy" forces were killed and drones were destroyed in a missile and drone attack on Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, which is known to host some US troops, but this has not been confirmed by either the American or Kuwaiti military.

Kuwait said it came under missile fire and drone attacks this morning, with a fire breaking out at a residential complex in the capital. The fire was brought under control, and no casualties were reported. "Kuwaiti air defences are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks," the Kuwaiti army said on X, urging citizens to follow safety instructions.

Jordan's army said that 10 out of 13 Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted and the other three fell in remote areas. It followed claims from the IRGC that it had killed "a large number of US forces", while destroying "several installations and enemy attack helicopters" in a ballistic attack on US Marines' barracks at Camp Titin, a military site near Aqaba. Reuters and Al Jazeera have since both reported, citing US sources, that there were no injuries or damage to the barracks.

IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebi said in a post on X that the US will face "severe punishment" and that it "will regret its new attacks". The IRGC said four of its personnel were killed in a US attack in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah, according to state media.

Trump Warns Iran: 'They Will Be Hit Again at a Much Harder and Higher Level'

Donald Trump warned that if Iran retaliated, "they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level".

"But it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the US president wrote on his Truth Social app last night.

In a subsequent post overnight, he said he was "not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table" and that he "couldn't care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement".

"I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz strait, and their economy totally collapsing," he added.

In a call with Fox News, Trump reportedly reiterated that Iran would be "totally wiped out" if it launches retaliatory strikes against the US. "This is a very big hit today. If it goes a third time, they're going to be totally wiped out as a country," Fox News quoted the US president as saying.

Trump has previously threatened to bomb Iran "back to the stone ages", and said in April that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if a peace deal wasn't reached.

Israel Ready to Respond 'With Great Force' if Iran Attacks, Says Defence Minister

The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said his military is ready to respond "with great force" if Iran attacks Israel, amid renewed fighting between the US and Iran in the Middle East.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Israeli news outlet Ynet, Katz said: "We do not want to be caught off guard; we are prepared. It must be understood: the IDF [Israel Defense Forces], including the air force, is prepared to strike in Iran."

"If they attack us, we will respond with great force, without relying on anyone."

He added: "At the moment, we are allowing the Americans [to attack] because of their interests in the Hormuz energy corridor. In the meantime, they [Iran] are striking the entire region except for us. But there is a likelihood that they will indeed attack. We are prepared for this defensively."

Russia Secretly Helping Iran Develop Supersonic Cruise Missiles, Report Says

Russia has secretly helped Iran build supersonic cruise missiles, according to the Financial Times. The covert programme, codenamed C340L, reportedly began in 2023 and has continued throughout the US and Israel's war on Iran.

The newspaper, citing Russian correspondence, travel records and military patents, reported that the programme was "one of the most significant known transfers of strategic military technology from Moscow to Tehran".

According to the report, some of Russia's most experienced missile specialists are helping Iran develop a ramjet propulsion system that could allow anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles to travel at several times the speed of sound, making them more difficult to detect and intercept.

Jim Lamson, a former CIA military analyst, said: "For the Iranians, this would give them a qualitatively new strategic weapon system that could threaten US navy vessels."

Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iranian missiles and senior analyst with Conflict Armament Research, told the Financial Times that such a programme "would require political clearance from the very top in Russia".

Oil Hits $97 a Barrel as Ryanair Warns of Higher Air Fares and Potential Airline Bankruptcies

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, touched $97.04 a barrel on Wednesday, the highest since late July, after renewed clashes between the US and Iran fuelled concerns over supply. It later eased back to just below $95.

ING analysts told clients: "Developments in recent days brought risks to regional oil supplies back into focus ... We've seen oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz despite the stalemate between the US and Iran, but rising tensions clearly put crossings at risk."

Ryanair has warned that air fares in Europe will jump next year if the oil price remains high and that some airlines could go bust. The Irish budget carrier has cut its passenger target for the year to 31 March, down from 216 million customers to 214 million, to help reduce its exposure to "unhedged winter oil" during the unprofitable off season, with jet fuel currently trading at $140 (£104) a barrel.

Ryanair expects passenger numbers between November and March to be broadly flat compared with the same period last year.

The company said: "If high oil prices continue through to summer 2027, Ryanair believes short-haul air fares in Europe will increase materially to reflect higher oil prices, as some less well-hedged competitors will struggle to maintain capacity or even survive this coming winter season."

Two Filipino Seafarers Killed in Attack on Saudi Oil Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Two seafarers were killed in an attack on a Saudi Arabia-flagged oil tanker as it transited the strait of Hormuz, a shipping company has confirmed.

The crude carrier Sidr was struck by unknown projectiles on Monday about 16.6 nautical miles (19 miles) north-east of Khasab, Oman, Reuters reported, citing shipping tracking data. Saudi Arabia's national shipping company, Bahri, said two Filipino seafarers were killed in the incident.

In a post on X, Bahri said: "The company extends its deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to their families, loved ones, and colleagues during this difficult time, and is providing its full support to the families and colleagues affected by the incident."

The incident comes amid a series of attacks on commercial vessels in and around the strait of Hormuz since the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran began in February, with dozens of attacks and a number of seafarers killed.

Pakistan Says It Remains Engaged with Iran and US on Talks to End War

Pakistan said it remains engaged in diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in the Middle East as it urged the warring parties to return to the negotiating table.

"Pakistan remains engaged, alongside our brotherly countries, in sincere efforts to resolve the crisis with respects to the standoff between Iran and the United States," the Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, said in a press briefing.

He said the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, met the president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, where Sharif "reiterated Pakistan's sincere commitment to peace through dialogue and diplomacy".

Andrabi added: "We underscored that the understanding reached under the Islamabad MoU [memorandum of understanding] offers the most viable pathway towards lasting peace and stability in the region."

The June memorandum of understanding signed in the Pakistan capital declared an end to the fighting, but it left some of the more contentious issues unresolved, leading to a wider 60-day period of negotiations that ultimately expired without a further deal.

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