Three U.S. Troops Killed, Five Wounded in Iran Attacks
Three U.S. Troops Killed, Five Wounded in Iran Attacks
Richard HallMon, March 2, 2026 at 8:54 AM UTC
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This image provided by U.S. Central Command shows an F/A-18E Super Hornet preparing to launch from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Credit - U.S. Navy via
Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded while taking part in the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, the Pentagon announced on Sunday.
They are the first reported American casualties since the United States and Israel launched major military strikes against Iran on Saturday, which President Donald Trump said was aimed at bringing about a change in the country's leadership.
“Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted on social media.
“The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified,” the statement added.
The three service members who were killed were deployed to Kuwait as part of a U.S. Army unit overseeing supplies and logistics, a person familiar with the matter told the .
President Donald Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social, “We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen. And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more, but we’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case.”
Trump said the U.S. would avenge their deaths. The President told the Daily Mail that the campaign could last around four weeks.
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Read more: Does Trump Have the Legal Authority to Strike Iran? An Expert Explains
The announcement came as Iran has launched a barrage of retaliatory missile strikes at U.S. bases across the Middle East over the past 48 hours. Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar have reported attacks, which have killed at least nine people near Jerusalem and one person in Tel Aviv. British air base RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus also reported that it was hit in a suspected drone strike soon after the U.K. announced that it would let the U.S. use its military bases for “defensive” strikes against Iranian missile sites.
The U.S. military denied reports that Iran had killed or wounded more than 500 American troops and hit the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with ballistic missiles.
Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, said at least 201 people had been killed and more than 700 injured across Iran by U.S. and Israeli bombing.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the country for more than three decades, was killed in the opening salvo of the campaign. Trump told Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich on Sunday that 48 senior Iranian leaders were killed in U.S.-Israeli bombings. He also said on Truth Social that the U.S. “destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important” and that “We are going after the rest — They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!” He added that the U.S. “largely destroyed” Iran’s naval headquarters. U.S. Central Command said on Sunday that its forces have struck more than 1,000 targets in Iran so far.
In a Sunday morning interview with the Atlantic, after Khamenei’s assassination, Trump said Iranian leaders “agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them.” Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council who has reportedly effectively led the country’s response to protests, nuclear talks, and war planning since the start of the year, denied that claim, posting on X on Monday, “We will not negotiate with the United States.”
Israel also bombed Beirut in Lebanon early Monday, killing at least 31 people and wounding 149 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Israel’s attack came hours after militant group Hezbollah launched a rocket and drone attack on Israel’s missile defense site Mishmar HaCarmel in retaliation for the assassination of Khamenei. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned both attacks launched from Lebanese territory and by Israel on Lebanon.
Contact us at letters@time.com.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
