Iran war escalation raises concern over civilian death toll

The sudden recent escalation of the Iran war has cast renewed attention on its civilian toll after Iran reported 18 dead in the last United States (US) assault, including four killed and dozens wounded at a wedding.

Iran’s health minister said 18 people were killed and 108 wounded in Tuesday night’s US strikes across Iran.

The Iranian Red Crescent said four people were killed and 67 wounded at a wedding ceremony near the coast of the Strait of Hormuz.

The return of combat operations has alarmed countries throughout the region, as Iran launched missile and drone attacks against what it said were US assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq.

Kuwait’s army reported further missile and drone attacks early Thursday, saying they were intercepted by air defence systems.

The guns had largely gone silent since the previous exchange in July, although peace talks failed to advance in the interim.

U.S.

President Donald Trump threatened to unleash yet more military force, even though the war is unpopular at home and has driven up the cost of gasoline.

Top aides to Trump are pushing to keep the war from escalating before November’s midterm elections to staunch Republican electoral losses, and White House officials will consider ramping up military action after the vote on November 3, four people familiar with the discussions said.

Iran, for its part, has remained defiant, despite suffering heavy military and economic losses.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “deeply alarmed by reports of civilian casualties, including a strike that reportedly hit a wedding ceremony in Iran,” and called for an immediate cessation of military action, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

“The Secretary-General condemns all attacks against civilians.

He recalls that all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution,” Dujarric said.

The deaths would be in addition to the 3,636 people documented as killed in Iran as of April 7, including 1,701 civilians, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), an independent Iranian rights group.