President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged the deaths of three U.S. service members killed in the early days of the U.S.-led war against Iran, describing them as the first casualties of his second term.

In a video posted to Truth Social on Sunday, March 1, Trump stated that U.S. Central Command had reported the losses, saying, "Earlier today, CENTCOM shared the news that three US military service members have been killed in action." He expressed national grief, noting, "As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation," and extended condolences to their families. Trump added, "And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That's the way it is -- likely be more."

The Pentagon later identified six U.S. service members killed in an Iranian drone strike on a military base at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on March 1. They included Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa; Maj. Jeffrey R. O'Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California. At least 20 others were injured in the attack.

The conflict erupted on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched joint airstrikes under Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, targeting Iranian nuclear sites, military bases, leadership compounds and infrastructure. The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, over 40 senior officials and commanders, and reportedly destroyed much of Iran's air defenses, navy and ballistic missile capabilities. Iran retaliated with drone and missile barrages on U.S. bases across the Gulf, Israel and allied sites, closing the Strait of Hormuz and escalating regional tensions.

Trump described the initial casualties in a Daily Mail interview as expected, saying, "They're great people... we expect that to happen, unfortunately. Could happen continuous - it could happen again." He contrasted the losses with prior operations, such as the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities, which incurred no U.S. deaths. In the same interview, he estimated the war could last four weeks or less and vowed to avenge the fallen, calling them "true American patriots."

The U.S. death toll has remained at six as of Thursday evening, amid ongoing strikes. Iranian reports claim over 1,200 deaths, including civilians, while the conflict has drawn in Hezbollah, Kurdish forces and Gulf states. Trump justified the operation as necessary to neutralize Iran's nuclear and missile threats, stating in the Truth Social video that an armed Iranian regime would pose a "dire threat to every American."