Three U.S. troops killed as Iran counterattacks in widening war
At least three US soldiers are among hundreds confirmed dead in the widening war in the Middle East that began with a series of surprise attacks by the US and Israel on Iran this weekend that resulted in the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pentagon officials Sunday morning He said three American soldiers were killed in the U.S. military operation — the first Americans to die in combat — but did not share the circumstances surrounding the deaths, including where they died. The news comes as Iran continues to intensify its counter-attacks across the region, including against American military bases.
At least five other soldiers were seriously injured and several others suffered minor shrapnel injuries and concussions, U.S. military officials said.
Iranian officials continued to seek revenge for attacks in their country and, in particular, the killing of Khamenei on Saturday.
Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani told
Casualties in the region mounted on Sunday as violence escalated in the second day of the war, killing dozens of civilians in Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States. United Arab Emirates.
An Iranian missile attack on a synagogue in central Israel on Sunday killed at least nine people, according to Israeli officials, bringing the country’s death toll to 11 since the start of a joint US-Iran offensive. At least 28 people were injured in the retaliatory attack, and 11 people were still missing.
The death toll in Saturday’s attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to 165, a state-run Iranian news agency reported; Among the dead are students, parents and school staff. Dozens more people were reported injured. Saturday is a typical school day in Iran.
The U.S. and Israeli militaries have not confirmed or explained the attack on the school, but U.S. officials said they were reviewing the reports.
In Pakistan, at least 22 people were killed and dozens more injured in violent clashes between pro-Iran protesters and security forces, including at the US Consulate in the port city of Karachi and the United Nations and government buildings in northern Pakistan.
And one Shooting attack that killed two people The incident at a bar in Austin, Texas, early Sunday may also be linked to U.S. attacks on Iran, according to local reports. According to the Associated Press, the gunman killed by police was wearing a tracksuit with the words “Property of God” and an image of the Iranian flag on it, and the FBI is investigating the attack as a possible act of terrorism.
But President Trump on Sunday appeared to be in no way backing off his attack on Iran, saying the attacks would increase. he said Nine ships belonging to the Iranian navy were sunk. In a separate attack, he claimed, “We largely destroyed the naval headquarters.”
In an interview via Daily Mail, Trump said he expected the fighting to continue for several more weeks, meaning more US soldiers could die.
“Unfortunately, we’re waiting for this to happen,” Trump told the newspaper. “This has always been a four-week process. [Iran] “This is a big country, it will take four weeks or less.”
Trump said on Saturday that the military strike was aimed at bringing peace to the Middle East and focused on disabling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities, especially after failed talks in recent weeks, which he called a “noble mission.”
He criticized US president Khamenei and the Iranian government. and threatened with military actionFollowing the deadly response to Iranian protesters in January. In his post after Khamenei’s death, Trump said that this was “the best chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”
White House officials confirmed Sunday that potential new Iranian leadership may be open to negotiations with the United States.
A Trump administration official told The Associated Press that Trump is willing to talk “eventually” but that the military operation is currently “continuing unabated.” White House officials did not comment on the specific identity of the future Iranian leader.
The remainder of Khamenei’s inner circle announced the formation of an interim leadership council on Sunday to manage the succession, although insiders indicate that hardliners within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may now move to consolidate power, according to political analyst Benjamin Radd of the University of California, San Francisco.
“IRGC units have operated independently so far. They do not have central control, which suggests that they are given advance instructions by Khamenei on what to do and they do their own thing,” Radd said. “This means that we are approaching a junta-like military dictatorship.”
But the escalating war has met with growing condemnation and concern around the world, including from the Pope on Sunday, who said he was “deeply concerned” by rising violence in Iran and the Middle East.
speech on sunday from VaticanPope Leo XIV issued a “heartfelt appeal to all parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of stopping the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm.” He said he continues to pray for peace, diplomacy and “the well-being of peoples who desire a peaceful existence founded on justice.” translated statement.
Criticism of the military operation in Congress continued to build Among Democratic lawmakers who described this effort not only as a military and diplomatic mistake, it was also stated that it was potentially beyond Trump’s authority as president.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called it an “illegal war.” Fox News SundayHe said the president needs Congressional approval to carry out attacks against Iran and declare war on the country. Governor Gavin Newsom echoed Kaine, saying Trump’s “reckless, illegal war has no description of the end result. There is no description of an existential threat.”
But many Republicans defended the president’s decision, citing imminent threats to both U.S. troops and Iranian citizens.
Beyond growing instability and deaths in the region, energy experts warn that escalating conflict could also sharply increase oil prices around the world.
Iran’s counterattack targeted oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime checkpoint through which about 20% of the world’s oil consumption passes. According to Reuters, an oil tanker was damaged off the coast of Oman as well as off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Helima Croft, chief analyst at the Royal Bank of Canada, said the ongoing conflict could mean a 30% increase in oil prices worldwide.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
