Washington, Mar. 1 (SANA) – Three US service members were killed and five others seriously wounded during ongoing military operations against Iran, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Sunday, marking the first reported American casualties since the escalation began.
In a statement posted on the X platform, CENTCOM provided no details regarding the identities or locations of the casualties, stating only that they were members of US forces. Several additional personnel sustained minor injuries, including shrapnel wounds and concussions, and are expected to return to duty.
US President Donald Trump had earlier warned that casualties among American forces were likely as military operations intensified.
Political reactions in Washington followed the announcement, with Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries expressing regret over the deaths and urging congressional action to limit further military escalation.
The United States and Israel began large-scale strikes on Iran on Saturday, while Tehran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several Gulf countries.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had fired ballistic missiles at the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and struck it, a claim denied by US Central Command, which said the carrier remains operational hundreds of kilometers from Iranian shores.
