Six US troops killed as operations against Iran continue: CENTCOM

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday that six US service members have been killed in action as major combat operations continue amid an escalating conflict with Iran.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said, “US forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran's initial attacks in the region.”

“Major combat operations continue," read the statement, adding that the identities of the fallen "are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.”

The announcement comes as the US and Israel press ahead with what officials describe as ongoing strikes on Iranian military headquarters, commanders and missile bases across various parts of the country.

On Monday, dozens of locations were targeted by aircraft, missiles and drones, with some of the heaviest strikes reported in Tehran.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington acted to blunt a broader assault. “We knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio told reporters.

President Donald Trump said Monday he would not rule out deploying ground troops in Iran. “I don't have the yips with respect to boots on the ground - like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don't say it,” he told the New York Post.

“I say ‘probably don't need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary,’” he said.

Speaking later at the White House, Trump said the US had taken the “last, best chance” to stop Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons ambitions and to “eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime.”

He outlined four objectives, saying: “First, we're destroying Iran's missile capabilities… Second, we're annihilating their navy… Third, we're ensuring that the world's number-one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon. Finally, we are ensuring the Iranian regime can't continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”

US and Israeli conducted coordinated strikes against Iran on Friday, targeting key military sites and the country's rulers, which led to the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.