Three U.S. Soldiers Reported Dead in Iran Military Operation

(MENAFN) Three American service members have been killed and five others critically wounded in the ongoing military operation against Iran, the U.S. Central Command confirmed Sunday — marking the first officially acknowledged U.S. combat casualties since the launch of coordinated strikes alongside Israel.

In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command disclosed that several additional personnel sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions as a result of the operation, noting that they are "in the process of being returned to duty."

Offering little further detail amid what it acknowledged as a fast-moving situation, the command indicated that further disclosure would be deliberately withheld out of deference to the families of those affected.

"The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information," the command added.

The casualties come as U.S. and Israeli forces have been conducting sweeping airstrikes against Iran since Saturday morning in what officials have described as a large-scale military campaign. Speaking Sunday in an interview with Fox News, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the strikes had killed 48 senior Iranian officials — a figure that, if verified, would signal the operation has struck at the heart of Tehran's leadership structure.

The confirmation of American battlefield deaths is expected to intensify political scrutiny in Washington over the scope, legal basis, and long-term trajectory of the military campaign, as the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate at an alarming pace.

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