Three American service members have been killed and five were “seriously wounded” in Operation Epic Fury — the operations against Iran, the US military said.
Several others who suffered minor shrapnel injuries and concussions have been treated and are preparing to return to duty.
A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran. AFP via Getty Images
Navy sailors transferring ordnance on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on February 27, 2026. AP“Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing,” CENTCOM said in an update Sunday morning.
Central Command said it is withholding the identifies the “fallen warriors” until 24 hours after their families have been notified.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes. Iranian Leader's Press Office via Getty ImagesIt’s not clear where the service members were killed.
President Trump hailed the fallen soldiers, calling them “great people” — though he warned that “we expect that to happen, unfortunately.”
“Could happen continuous – it could happen again,” the president told Daily Mail by telephone from his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida on Sunday.
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The president added that he anticipates the joint Israeli-US operation against Iran to last “four weeks or so” and that the campaign was “going as per planned.”
“We figured it will be four weeks or so. It’s always been about a four week process so – as strong as it is, it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks – or less,” he said.
Iran has attacked US bases across the Middle East in response to the strikes that wiped out much of the Iranian leadership — including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Black smoke is seen rising with heavy damage at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound. via REUTERSThe Islamic State launched missiles and attack drones on US allies in the region, including United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait — which are all home to US military bases.
Military officials in those countries confirmed that intercepted missiles fired towards them, but falling debris has caused widespread damage.
The US, Israel strikes wiped out much of the Iranian leadership. U.S. Central CommandAt least one person was killed and 11 others injured on strikes at airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE.
In addition to Khamenei, Iran’s ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who had previously called for the extermination of Israel, was also killed in the US-Israeli military operation.
Trump told the Daily Mail that Iran was seeking talks now.
“They want to, they want to talk, but I said you should have talked last week not this week,” he said.
