Six American service members were killed, and others were “seriously wounded” during U.S. military operations against Iran, U.S. Central Command officials said.
The deaths of three service members were initially announced over the weekend, but CENTCOM officials confirmed on Monday that a fourth who had been “seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks” had died. Later, CENTCOM announced that “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.”
Additionally, an official with U.S. Central Command told Task & Purpose that 18 U.S. troops had been seriously wounded as of 7:30 a.m. ET on Monday. The Command’s initial post on Sunday said that five had been “seriously wounded” and “several” other troops “sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions,” but were in the process of being returned to duty.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Monday at the Pentagon that the casualties were the result of an Iranian weapon hitting an American tactical operation center. He did not specify the location of the fatal strikes, though other publications have reported it was in Kuwait.
“You have air defenses and lots coming in, and you hit most of it, and we absolutely do. We have incredible air defenders. Every once in a while, you might have one — unfortunately, we call it a squirter — that makes its way through,” he said. “In that particular case, happened to hit a tactical operation center that was fortified. But these are powerful weapons.”
“Operations will remain active across the theater and across the globe,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said at a Pentagon briefing Monday morning.
U.S. and Israeli forces began extensive air and missile strikes against Iran on Saturday. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei was killed in airstrikes, President Donald Trump announced late Saturday afternoon.
The U.S. operation, named Epic Fury, began around 1:15 a.m., Eastern Time, on Saturday, and it involved launching one-way attack drones and missiles at targets inside Iran, according to CENTCOM, which has released videos showing U.S. Navy ships firing Tomahawk cruise missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, launching Army Tactical Missile System rockets, or ATACMS, which have a range of up to 186 miles.
On Sunday, CENTCOM announced that U.S. forces had sunk an Iranian frigate, and the command disputed Iranian claims that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had been struck by four ballistic missiles.
“The Lincoln was not hit,” CENTCOM posted on X. “The missiles launched didn’t even come close.”
UPDATE: 3/2/2026; This article has been updated with information from U.S. Central Command about those seriously injured and killed during operations that took place over the weekend.
