AMMAN, Jordan and WASHINGTON — President Trump said more U.S. service members will likely be killed in the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran after the Pentagon confirmed three U.S. service members were killed and at least five were seriously wounded.
In an address posted on Truth Social, Trump said the U.S. grieves for those killed, calling them “true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.” “And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends, that’s the way it is,” he said, adding the U.S. would avenge their deaths and accusing Iran of waging war “against civilization.” He later warned on Truth Social that more Iranian naval targets would be struck: “They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!”
U.S. Central Command confirmed the casualties Sunday — the first American deaths since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Saturday. A U.S. official, not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR the troops killed were ground-based forces stationed in Kuwait. The military said several other service members sustained “minor shrapnel injuries and concussions” and were returning to duty.
Central Command said the operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” struck an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette that was sinking at a pier on the Gulf of Oman. The military also said U.S. B-2 stealth bombers armed with 2,000-pound bombs struck Iran’s ballistic missile facilities Saturday night. CENTCOM said over 1,000 targets have been struck. Trump additionally claimed U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval ships and “largely destroyed” Iran’s naval headquarters; CENTCOM would not confirm that claim.
The war widened across the region Sunday. Israel launched a fresh wave of strikes in Iran, with explosions heard in Tehran. Israel said it was striking targets belonging to “the Iranian terror regime” in the heart of Tehran and conducted large-scale strikes to establish air superiority and “pave the path to Tehran.” Iranian state media reported Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed in air strikes targeting his office; a state broadcaster delivered the news in tears. Israel’s military said it carried out a “precise, large-scale operation” targeting Khamenei at a central leadership compound in Tehran.
Iran said it established a three-person temporary leadership council to govern under Islamic law until a panel of Shia clerics chooses a new supreme leader. Trump said potential new Iranian leaders indicated they want to talk and he plans to speak with them eventually, a senior White House official told NPR.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told NPR that 158 students were killed at an elementary school in Minab in southern Iran and that hospitals in central Tehran were hit. Iran blamed Israel for the school strike. The Israeli military said it was not aware of forces operating in that area. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, told NPR the U.S. was aware of reports of civilian harm and was “looking into them,” stressing that “the protection of civilians is of utmost importance” and that the U.S. “will continue to take all precautions available to minimize the risk of unintended harm.”
Mourners packed Tehran’s Enghelab Square and other public spaces to mark what they termed Khamenei’s martyrdom. Videos posted to social media showed crowds chanting and, in some places, people celebrating. NPR could not independently verify those videos. A Tehran resident who asked to be identified only as Roxana said some people who had joined past protests celebrated Khamenei’s death, but she said a friend was later shot in the back and leg by security forces as young people danced; the friend avoided going to a hospital for fear of arrest.
Across the region, security tightened and air defenses were on alert. In Iraq, where Iran-backed paramilitaries are integrated into official forces, the government blocked entrances to Baghdad’s Green Zone and deployed riot police against militia members trying to breach barricades. In Jordan, residents reported air-raid sirens and intercepted missiles.
The Gulf faced major disruptions. Iran targeted luxury hotels and high-rise apartments believed to house U.S. personnel. Videos showed drones striking high-rises and smoke filling parts of Dubai’s airport concourse as staff fled. Iranian attacks damaged Dubai’s international airport and the Burj Al Arab hotel and forced closures at major regional hubs, including airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.
Iran vowed the biggest wave of attacks yet on Israel and U.S. bases, threatened shipping and announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz. “There will be no mercy or forgiveness in taking revenge for the leader,” the Iranian ministry of defense said. Baghaei told NPR Iran will continue to fight “foreign aggression, foreign domination,” calling the conflict “an unjust war imposed on our nation” and saying, “We have no problem with the American people. And we believe that this is not their war. This is the U.S. administration’s war of choice.”
In Israel, at least nine people were killed and others were wounded in an Iranian missile attack near Jerusalem, Israeli officials said. OPEC met to consider increasing production to try to prevent a severe spike in oil prices if Gulf supplies are disrupted.
Trump warned Iran against further retaliation, saying if Iran escalated the U.S. would respond with “a force that has never been seen before.” He also told CNBC Sunday that military operations in Iran were “ahead of schedule” and said, “We’re doing our job not just for us but for the world. And everything is ahead of schedule.”
Daniel Estrin contributed from Tel Aviv. Carrie Kahn contributed from Istanbul.