Iran condemns deadly US strike on Qeshm Island, vows firm response

Iran has strongly condemned what it describes as a deadly US strike on a residential neighbourhood on Qeshm Island in the country's south, with senior officials accusing Washington of targeting civilians and escalating tensions through what they called acts of aggression. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the overnight attack damaged several homes and claimed the lives of taxi driver Qaisar Jafari, his wife Zahra, and their two-year-old son, Sina.

In an emotional post on X, Baghaei denounced the strike as a "criminal attack" that had shattered the lives of an ordinary Iranian family.

"The criminal attack last night on the homes of the noblest Iranians in Qeshm, which resulted in the destruction of several houses and the martyrdom of a hardworking taxi driver, Qeysar Jafari, his wife Zahra Jafari, and their innocent two-year-old child, Sina, pains the heart of every conscientious human being," he wrote.

Baghaei further accused the United States of pursuing violence under the banner of "peace through force," likening the attack to acts of terrorism and asserting that such actions would neither bring legitimacy nor strengthen Washington's standing.

He also insisted that military strikes, sanctions, threats and the killing of civilians would only deepen Iran's resolve.

"With every explosion, with every crime, with every sanction, with every threat, with the killing of every child, you only make Iranians more determined and united in defending their homeland," he said.

Iran's Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf echoed the condemnation, describing the reported strike as part of what he called a continuing pattern of attacks on civilian residential areas.

"The United States stains its hands with a new crime every day," Ghalibaf said. "Americans have become accustomed to compensating for the blows they receive on the battlefield by shedding the blood of innocent people. They will pay the price."

Adding to Tehran's increasingly defiant tone, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning to countries it said had assisted or supported the United States in its actions against Iran.

In a statement released on Thursday, the IRGC's Public Relations department warned Washington's allies in West Asia and beyond to reconsider their conduct, saying Iran would respond firmly to what it described as US attacks and crimes against the country.

The latest statements underscore Iran's determination to project unity and resilience in the face of mounting tensions, with its political and military leadership portraying the reported strike as another example of what they call US aggression against the Iranian people.

With IANS inputs