Three American service personnel have died following US military operations targeting Iran, according to US Central Command, marking the first official acknowledgment of US fatalities in the unfolding conflict.
In addition to the three deaths, five troops are reported to be in critical condition, while several others suffered lighter injuries, including shrapnel wounds and concussions.
The development follows reports that Iran’s former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was killed during coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.
Donald Trump cautioned that the United States would respond to any Iranian retaliation with overwhelming force after the death of the country’s supreme leader.
“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever been hit before,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint US-Israeli aerial assault.
Tehran has continued its reprisal attacks, with reports indicating that an oil tanker was struck off the coast of Oman. In addition, one person was killed in Abu Dhabi after a drone was intercepted near the city’s airport.
Three US troops killed as Iran escalates retaliation after Khamenei’s death
