Number Of Americans Wounded In Iran War Grows Beyond 300
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans injured in the Iran war has risen to more than 300; More than two dozen soldiers were injured in attacks on a Saudi air base this week.
Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 unmanned aerial vehicles at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base on Friday, injuring at least 15 soldiers, five of them seriously. US officials initially reported that at least 10 US soldiers were injured, two of them seriously.
More American forces have arrived in the Middle East and a Navy ship carrying about 2,500 Marines has arrived in the region, U.S. Central Command announced Saturday. USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, and elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard are based in Japan. They were practicing in the region around Taiwan when the order came to deploy to the Middle East about two weeks ago.
Tripoli has brought amphibious assault assets to the region, as well as transport and attack warplanes, as well as Marines, Central Command said. USS Boxer and two other ships, as well as another Marine Expeditionary Unit, were also ordered to the region from San Diego.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the United States can achieve its goals “without ground troops.” But he also said Trump “needs to be prepared for multiple contingencies” and that American forces are on standby “to give the president maximum options and the opportunity to adapt should they arise.”
The Saudi base was attacked twice earlier in the week, according to sources who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity; These include the incident that injured 14 US soldiers.
The base, about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital Riyadh, is run by the Royal Saudi Air Force but is also used by US troops. The installation has been targeted almost since the beginning of the war, and the war reached a month old on Saturday.
Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was injured in an attack on the base on March 1 and he died days later. He is one of 13 soldiers deployed. killed in battle.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday about American casualties at the Saudi base.
More than 300 soldiers were injured in the battle, Central Command said Friday. While most returned to duty, 30 remained out of duty and 10 were considered seriously injured.
Iran responded to the attacks of the USA and Israel with attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab countries. The war disrupted global air travel, disrupted oil exports and caused fuel prices to soar. Iran’s pressure Strait of HormuzBeing a strategic waterway, the economic downturn was exacerbated.
President Donald Trump is under increasing pressure to end Iran’s pressure on the strait as the economic repercussions extend far beyond the Middle East. The latest attacks on the Saudi air base came after Trump claimed talks to end the war were going “very well”.
Trump said he gave Tehran until April 6 to reopen the strait. Iran says it has not entered into any negotiations.
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.
