Five other people were “seriously injured” in the operation, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
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Published March 1, 2026
The U.S. military announced that three service members were killed in operations against Iran, the first casualties for the U.S. military in continued attacks on Iran.
Sunday’s announcement came on the second day of airstrikes by the United States and Israel that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and triggered retaliatory Iranian fire on targets across the Middle East.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed in a statement that three U.S. service members were killed and five others were “seriously injured” in the operation.
“Several other personnel sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are now returning to duty. Large-scale combat operations continue and our response efforts continue,” it added.
“Due to the fluid nature of the situation, out of respect for the family, we will withhold additional information, including the identity of the fallen warrior, until 24 hours after next of kin is notified,” it added.
The United States and Israel continued attacks across Iran on Sunday, the second day of a campaign that US President Donald Trump says is aimed at removing the Iranian government from power. Iran has responded to the attack with attacks targeting U.S. assets across the Middle East, raising fears of a broader regional war.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported on Sunday that it had targeted the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln with four ballistic missiles.
A U.S. official told Al Jazeera there was no damage caused by the Iranian attack.
Centcom said on X that the carrier “continues to launch aircraft in support of Centcom’s relentless operations to eliminate threats from the Iranian regime and protect the American people.”
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, D.C., said the deaths of U.S. service members would “change a lot of things for the United States.”
“Donald Trump, of course, campaigned on the idea that he was going to be a president who was not going to take the United States into a war.[Former U.S. Vice President]Kamala Harris said if she was elected, she would start a war with Iran that would lead to World War III,” Fisher said.
“There are a lot of people on the Democratic side right now who want an emergency debate in Congress about this[US Iran campaign]because what they want to know is: What is the administration’s plan? Where is this going? How long is this going to last?”
“And, of course, the big question is, how many more service members are going to be at risk?” Fisher added.
Still, President Trump told Fox News on Sunday that things are “moving rapidly” during the U.S. operation in Iran following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top political figures.
“I’m not worried about anything. Things are going well,” he said.
He added: “Without our attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iran would have had nuclear weapons within two weeks and this type of attack would not have been possible then.”
Iran has vowed to retaliate against Khamenei’s killing and the ongoing US-Israeli attacks on the country, as Foreign Minister Abbas al-Ghachi told Al Jazeera there are “no limits to our self-defense.”
