Six U.S. service members have been killed in the Iran attacks since the weekend, the U.S. military said.
Three service members were killed Sunday, and five others were seriously wounded by shrapnel, according to U.S. officials.
“The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries,” U.S. Central Command wrote on X. “Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing.”
Then, on Monday, U.S. Central Command announced that the bodies of two other service members were found.
“As of 4 pm ET, March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action. U.S. forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran's initial attacks in the region. Major combat operations continue. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” the command wrote on X.
None of the slain service members have been publicly identified yet as next of kin are still being contacted. It was not immediately clear where the troops were killed.
At a Monday morning press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, paid tribute to the fallen service members.
“Our deepest heartfelt condolences are with their families. We will never forget you,” he said.
Caine then noted that the U.S. military strikes in Iran are not a “single overnight operation.”
“This is major combat operations,” he said. “We expect to take additional losses.”
President Donald Trump said he expects there to be additional casualties in a video posted to Truth Social Sunday. “Sadly, there will likely be more... before it ends, that's the way it is. Likely be more,” he said.
The U.S. and Israel launched coordinated attacks against Iran at the weekend, killing the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials.
The strikes, named by the U.S. as “Operation Epic Fury”, have prompted Iran to launch a wave of missiles across the Middle East.
Three close American allies, Britain, France and Germany, said they were ready to join forces with the U.S. to stop Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes.
Following Khamenei’s death, the Islamic Republic must now choose a supreme leader for the first time since 1989. Trump had urged Iranians to seize the opportunity to “take over” their government.
Khamenei, 86, had no designated successor, and as a result, Iranian officials have said a new supreme leader would be chosen within the coming days.
There have been scattered celebrations over Khamenei’s death, but internet restrictions in the country have muffled what’s actually happening.
The strikes this weekend came as the U.S. and Israel spent weeks monitoring the movements of senior Iranian leaders, including Khamenei, in preparation for the attack.
The U.S. has said it is willing to talk with Iran’s new leaders, even as U.S. military bases throughout the region remain a target of Iranian attacks.
In retaliation, Iran’s military has targeted Israel and U.S. bases in the region, killing at least six U.S. service members. Other Iranian strikes have killed several people in the Gulf nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Trump has suggested the conflict could go on for the next four weeks, after earlier saying the operations are “ahead of schedule.”
Iran was firing missiles at Israel and Arab states Monday, reportedly hitting the U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait as Israel and the U.S. continued striking targets in Iran.
It comes as the U.S. military’s Central Command said Kuwait “mistakenly shot down” three American F-15E Strike Eagles. All six aircrew on board ejected safely, have been found and are in stable condition, Central Command said.
With reporting by the Associated Press
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