The Pentagon provided its first comprehensive update on U.S. casualties in the war with Iran, stating that about 140 service members have been wounded since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28. Chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the vast majority of these injuries were minor and that 108 personnel had already returned to duty. Eight service members remain severely injured and are receiving top-level medical care.

This tally comes in addition to seven confirmed U.S. military deaths. Six Army soldiers, part of an Iowa-based Reserve unit supporting logistics, died in an Iranian drone strike on an operations center at a civilian port in Kuwait, the seventh, Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, from Glendale, Kentucky, succumbed to wounds from a March 1 attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Vice President JD Vance attended the dignified transfer of Pennington's remains at Dover Air Force Base on Monday. At the same time, President Donald Trump participated in a ceremony for the six soldiers killed in Kuwait over the weekend.

The conflict erupted on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched joint airstrikes under Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion, targeting Iranian military sites, nuclear facilities, air defenses, and leadership in cities including Tehran and Isfahan. The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials, amid U.S. claims of Iran's restarted nuclear weapons program, missile development, and proxy support for groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran responded with Operation True Promise IV, firing drones and ballistic missiles at U.S. bases across the Middle East, in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey, as well as Israeli targets. Iran also closed the Strait of Hormuz and struck civilian infrastructure in several Gulf states.

Iranian sources report over 1,200 killed, including thousands of military personnel and hundreds of civilians, with strikes damaging residential areas, hospitals, and schools. Hezbollah has renewed attacks on Israel, prompting Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon, where hundreds have died. Casualties among U.S. allies include deaths in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated Tuesday that the day would feature the most intense U.S. strikes yet inside Iran. The war has driven oil prices to $114 per barrel, closed regional airspace, and cost the U.S. nearly $1 billion per day, though markets have stabilized somewhat. Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader on March 8, vowing continued resistance amid an ongoing internet blackout.