On Thursday, JD Vance told reporters he was 'extremely skeptical' that the United States was responsible for the missile strike on a wedding ceremony in the Iranian city of Sirik on September 1. 'The Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe about what's happened in the conflict thus far,' he said, 'so I'm extremely skeptical of this.' On the same day, Reuters reported that its investigation found the strike was likely a direct hit by a US munition — not a ricochet off another target. The New York Times and the BBC reached similar conclusions. The death toll, which stood at four when DiploPolis first covered the strike, has risen to five. A 22-year-old woman died in hospital, bringing the confirmed dead to five.

The funeral on Thursday in the community near Sirik was held for four of the victims. Amir-Ali Karimi, the four-year-old boy documented in 'The Wedding Was in Sirik,' was among those buried. The Reuters investigation and the funeral happened on the same day. The vice president said he was extremely skeptical. Reuters said it was a direct hit. Both statements were published on September 4. They have not been reconciled by any official American statement since.

This is the accountability structure of the Iran war in practice. US Central Command describes its strikes as targeting IRGC facilities, military infrastructure, command and control centres and maritime capabilities. When a wedding ceremony in a coastal Iranian town is struck, CENTCOM says it is looking into reports of civilian casualties. When an independent investigation confirms a direct hit that killed five people including a four-year-old child, the vice president says he is extremely skeptical. The ICC that would examine the evidence is being dismantled. The military investigation that Israel conducted into similar allegations — 19 months after Hind Rajab's killing — was opened only after the international accountability apparatus had been systematically reduced.

DiploPolis covered the Sirik strike twice. 'The Wedding Was in Sirik' documented the initial reports: four killed, 67 wounded, at a ceremony in a city on the Strait of Hormuz. 'Iran Asked the ICC. The ICC Is Being Dismantled.' documented the Red Crescent's request and the simultaneous extension of US sanctions against ICC staff. The fifth victim's death is the latest entry in the same accounting. The vice president's skepticism is the official response. Reuters is not the government. The government has said it is looking into it.

The escalation has continued. US forces also disabled three Iranian tankers on September 5, before the five-tanker strike that DiploPolis will document this week. The cycle of strike and retaliation has not paused to examine what happened in Sirik. It has continued, as it has continued since February 28, with each round of strikes producing new civilian deaths and new official skepticism and new investigations from journalists who are not the governments conducting the war.

JD Vance said he was extremely skeptical. Reuters confirmed a direct hit. Five people were buried Thursday. The investigation is ongoing. The war continues.