Three American service members have died following US military operations targeting Iran, according to United States Central Command, marking the first official confirmation of US fatalities in the ongoing conflict.
In addition to the deaths, five troops are reported to be in critical condition, while several others sustained lighter injuries, including shrapnel wounds and concussions.
The update comes after reports that former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was killed during coordinated airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Tehran.
Donald Trump warned that Washington would respond with overwhelming force to any retaliation, following the killing of Iran’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 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint US-Israeli aerial assault.
Tehran has continued reprisal attacks, with reports indicating an oil tanker was hit off the coast of Oman. Additionally, one person was killed in Abu Dhabi after a drone was intercepted near the city’s airport.