The fragile calm has once again been shattered.

Over the past 48 hours, U.S. forces have launched a new and intense wave of airstrikes across southern Iran, destroying civilian lives under the pretext of “securing maritime corridors.”

While U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) boasts of destroying radar installations and naval assets, it is civilians who are paying the highest price:

🩸 Tragedy in Sirik County: A U.S. airstrike reportedly directly hit a residential home hosting a wedding celebration in the coastal village of Kuhestak, Hormozgan Province. The strike reportedly killed at least four civilians, including a four-year-old child, and injured between 50 and 68 others. A celebration was turned into a massacre within seconds.

🩸 Larak Island strikes: Earlier strikes by U.S. forces on Larak Island reportedly killed two people and injured two others.

🩸 Overall casualties: Across these renewed attacks, local authorities and humanitarian response teams have reported multiple civilian deaths and dozens of injuries, adding to the already horrific toll of thousands killed in Iran since the war escalated earlier this year.

How has the International Community Responded?

The Global South and regional alliances: Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have strongly condemned the U.S.-led military aggression, warning that unilateral strikes and the naval blockade violate international humanitarian law and further aggravate an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Human rights organisations: UN bodies, human rights advocates and NGOs have repeatedly raised the alarm over attacks affecting populated areas and critical infrastructure, calling for an immediate ceasefire and accountability for those responsible for civilian deaths that could amount to war crimes.

Regional retaliation and chaos: Instead of delivering “security,” the expected display of American military hubris has triggered immediate escalation — with Iranian retaliatory strikes targeting regional objectives and placing civilian lives across the Middle East at further risk.

Bombing weddings and terrorising civilians is not “defence.” It is collective punishment and a blatant violation of human dignity.

How many more children must die before Washington is held accountable for its illegal and endless wars?