The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that five other people were “seriously injured” in the operation.
Published March 1, 2026
The US military has announced that three service members have been killed in its operation against Iran, the first American casualties in the continuing attacks against Iran.
Sunday’s announcement comes on the second day of US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and prompted Iranian retaliation against targets across the Middle East.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed in a statement that three US service members were killed and five others were “seriously injured” in the operation.
“Several others suffered minor shrapnel injuries and concussions, and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort continues,” he added.
“The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after family members have been notified,” he added.
The United States and Israel continued to launch attacks across Iran on Sunday, the second day of a campaign that US President Donald Trump says is aimed at removing Iran’s government from power. Iran has responded to the attack with attacks on US assets across the Middle East, raising fears of a broader regional war.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reported Sunday that it had attacked the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with four ballistic missiles.
A US official told Al Jazeera that the Iranian attack did not cause any damage.
CENTCOM said in X that the carrier “continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.”
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington DC, said the death of US troops “would change a lot of things for the United States.”
“Donald Trump, of course, campaigned on the idea of being a president who was not going to lead the United States into wars. He said that (former US Vice President) Kamala Harris, if elected, would start a fight with Iran that would lead to World War III,” Fisher said.
“There are many on the Democratic side who now want an emergency debate in Congress on this (the US operation in Iran) because they want to know what the administration’s plans are? Where is this going? How long is it going to last?” he said.
“And the big question, of course, is how many more service personnel will be at risk,” he added.
Still, Trump told Fox News on Sunday that things were “moving quickly” during his operation in Iran following the assassinations of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other members of the top political hierarchy.
“I’m not worried about anything and everything is going well,” he said.
“Iran would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks if it were not for our attacks on its nuclear facilities, and then this type of attack would not have been possible,” he added.
Iran has vowed retaliation for Khamenei’s assassination and continued US-Israeli attacks on the country, while Foreign Minister Abbas Argachi told Al Jazeera there were “no limits to our self-defence”.
