U.S. Central Command said on Sunday that three American service members were killed and several others wounded in clashes linked to U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The statement said additional personnel suffered “minor shrapnel injuries and concussions” and are being returned to duty. Military officials did not provide details on how or when the casualties occurred.
This is the first official confirmation of U.S. casualties since the United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday that reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior Iranian military figures. Central Command said major combat operations are continuing and that their response efforts remain ongoing.
The command described the situation as fluid and said, out of respect for families, it will withhold further details — including the identities of the deceased — until at least 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
President Donald Trump had warned on Saturday that U.S. forces could suffer casualties, saying such losses “often happens in war.” In the days since the strikes, Tehran has fired missiles at Israel and at U.S. military facilities across the region. Iran claimed it struck the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with four ballistic missiles; Central Command countered that the ship was not hit and that Iranian missiles “didn’t even come close.”
President Trump, writing on social media, said the U.S. military had destroyed nine Iranian navy ships and that it was “going after the rest.”
The U.S. operation, named “Epic Fury,” has, according to the Red Crescent, resulted in at least 200 deaths inside Iran. In Israel, an Iranian strike on the central town of Beit Shemesh killed nine people and wounded 28; Israeli authorities put the country’s total death toll at 11, with more people reported missing. The United Arab Emirates reported three dead from Iranian attacks, and Kuwait reported one fatality.
Iranian officials, including the president, have framed their response as targeting the enemy’s bases; footage released by Iranian state media showed military action and officials declaring retaliation against the strikes. Central Command reiterated that its updates will remain limited as operations continue and as families of U.S. personnel are notified.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic