Vance’s ‘Things Happen’ Comment Sparks Debate Over Iran Wedding Strike Response

United States Vice President JD Vance has questioned reports of a deadly US strike on a wedding celebration in the Iranian town of Kuhestak, stating he does not trust Iran’s account of the incident.

However, he remarked: “Sometimes, things happen,” when addressing the claims during a press briefing.

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, two days after the attack, Vance said he had no new information about the incident but maintained that the US “never targets civilians in combat” and would investigate what happened.

Analysts suggest his remarks demonstrate a longstanding practice by the US government of dismissing or questioning reports of civilian casualties in military operations.

This article examines the strike on a wedding in Iran and how Vance’s response fits into historical patterns of US military claims.

What happened in Iran?

A missile strike targeted a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, Hormozgan, southern Iran, on Tuesday evening, resulting in four deaths—two women and two children—and 67 injuries, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

On Wednesday, the Hormozgan governor’s office identified the victims as four-year-old Amir Ali Karimi, 16-year-old Mohammad Malahi, 43-year-old Kolsoum Malahi, and 43-year-old Zarkhatoun Taheri.

The Iranian Red Crescent documented the incident thoroughly, publishing images from the scene and of the injured children. The organization submitted a letter to the International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor requesting legal action against those responsible for what it called a “grave” attack.

Video footage showed several projectiles striking a telecommunications tower near the city’s waterfront and demolishing it, with residents reporting they believed drones were used. Defense analysts identified fragments found in Kuhestak as possibly belonging to a variant of the AGM-84K SLAM-ER, described by manufacturer Boeing as an advanced precision-guided, air-launched cruise missile with “surgical strike capability.”

Weapons specialists consulted by Reuters reviewed images and video, concluding the damage was consistent with a direct hit by a US weapon.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the strikes in Kuhestak added to a “catalogue of atrocities against the nation of Iran” by the US.

The US has initiated an investigation into the incident.

What have Vance and other US government officials said?

On Tuesday, Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for US Central Command (CENTCOM), said the US was aware of civilian casualty reports “originating from Iranian state media” and was “looking into them.”

“The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” Hawkins stated, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Vance subsequently expressed “extreme skepticism” regarding the wedding strike reports.

He noted that “Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe” concerning the ongoing conflict, despite documentation by the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

“What I can say with 100 percent confidence is that, unlike the IRGC, the United States never targets civilians in combat,” Vance stated. “We never will do that. We never have done that.”

He added: “Unfortunately, obviously, sometimes things happen.”

How does this compare to past military claims about attacks on civilians?

This incident is not the first time the US government has questioned reports of civilian harm during wartime, including in the current conflict with Iran.

Minab school strike, Iran

Following a deadly strike on a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, on February 28, US President Donald Trump initially suggested Iran was responsible. However, as a US investigation continued and satellite data, footage, and expert analysis increasingly indicated US involvement—including fragments from a US Tomahawk missile—Trump later stated: “Nobody did that on purpose” and “mistakes are made” during war.

Civilian casualties in Yemen

The US government has similarly adjusted its statements following several high-profile attacks resulting in civilian deaths in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Iraq.

Last month, the US acknowledged for the first time that an air campaign against the Houthis in Yemen in April 2025 probably caused significant civilian casualties, with 153 civilians killed and 243 wounded. This marked a substantial increase from 2024, when the Pentagon reported that US military operations had killed two civilians and injured two.

More civilian deaths in Afghanistan

When a 2008 US air attack against Taliban fighters in the Afghan village of Azizabad generated outrage over reported civilian casualties, the US military initially claimed no civilians had been killed. It later acknowledged seven civilian deaths before revising the figure to 33. The Afghan government reported 90 civilians killed, predominantly women and children.

Abu Ghraib prison, Iraq

In Iraq, US officials initially minimized the scope of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison after photographs emerged in 2003 showing prisoners mistreated by US guards. Later investigations uncovered a broader pattern of abuse, including sexual assault, rape, and physical and psychological torture, resulting in at least one inmate’s death.

In the subsequent years, 11 US soldiers faced charges including dereliction of duty, maltreatment, aggravated assault, and battery. They were convicted in military courts, with nine receiving prison sentences. In November 2024, a US jury ordered Virginia-based defense contractor CACI to pay $42 million to three Iraqi men who had been tortured at the prison in 2004.

Vietnam war

During the Vietnam War from 1955 to 1975, the US military initially concealed reports of the My Lai massacre, in which US soldiers killed and wounded up to 500 Vietnamese, many of them women and children. When evidence of the killings became public, a US investigation determined that military officials had participated in a cover-up.

Emily Tripp, executive director of Airwars, a monitoring organization tracking civilian harm in conflicts, stated that Vance’s skepticism regarding the latest deadly US attack in Iran demonstrates a tendency to approach civilian harm incidents “like a PR crisis” rather than through proper procedures.

“The odds are always stacked against civilians – from the moment they get harmed in a poorly planned operation, to when they try to show the world what happened, to when they ask for a response and acknowledgement,” Tripp told Al Jazeera.

“Vance pushing back at these claims, before an investigation is conducted by the military, reflects an instinctive disbelief in the most vulnerable people. And time and again that position has been shown to be false.”

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