Iranian state and local media said a US strike near Sirik in southern Iran on
the night of Sept. 1-2 killed civilians, including children; Tehran condemned
the attack as a war crime. Ali Akbar Dareini, a researcher at Tehran's Center
for Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera the strike "cannot be ignored" and said
Iran must respond, warning it could be a "prelude to a larger-scale war." He
said the US appears to be combining sanctions, a maritime blockade and military
strikes to try to force Iran to surrender.
