The US military on Sunday said three service members have been killed and five seriously wounded in the war against Iran — the first casualties announced on the US side.
The news, which could have serious political ramifications in Washington, came as President Donald Trump emphasized successes in the operation, announcing that nine Iranian naval ships had been sunk and not referring to the US deaths.
The United States and Israel launched massive bombardments against Iran and killed its supreme leader Saturday, with attacks ongoing Sunday.
There was no indication from officials about how or exactly where the American casualties occurred.
“Three U.S. service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury. Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing. 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.”
Trump, spending the weekend at his Florida resort, gave multiple interviews to US media outlets about other aspects of the Iran operation that were published shortly before the casualties were made public.
He told Fox News that 48 Iranian leaders had been killed “in one shot” and told The Atlantic that he was ready to open negotiations but “can’t tell” when.
“Things are evolving in a very positive way right now, a very positive way,” he said in another interview with CNBC.
Well after the news broke about the US losses, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Iran’s navy was being targeted — but again avoided mentioning the casualties.
“We have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important,” Trump posted. The country’s naval headquarters, he said, was “largely destroyed.”