President Donald Trump salutes coffins of six fallen soldiers killed in Iran war as he is joined by Melania for dignified transfer

President Donald Trump saluted six fallen soldiers whose bodies arrived Saturday at the Delaware Air Force base in the U.S. territory to be prepared for their final resting place.

The Republican looked solemn as he held his hand to his forehead as he walked past six caskets, including his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles at Dover Air Force Base.

In the coffins were the bodies of 39-year-old Nicole Amor; Cody Khork, 35; Robert Marzan, 54; Jeffrey O’Brien, 45; Noah Tietjens, 42; and Declan Coady, 20, who died during the Iranian attack on Kuwait on Sunday.

American flags were draped over the caskets as part of the dignified transfer as they were moved to a vehicle that would transport them to the mortuary facility.

Trump announced that he would attend the ceremony on Friday night and said that he would bring his wife and cabinet members with him “to show our greatest respect to our great warriors.”

‘May God bless them all,’ he wrote.

Speaking at the Inter-American Shield Summit in Florida on Saturday morning before heading to Delaware, the president admitted that the six soldiers “will be returning home from Iran in a different way than they thought.”

“They are great heroes in our country,” he said at the summit.

Trump was accompanied by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Trump, Vance and Hegseth bowed their hands at the base of the base as the caskets were removed

Soldiers carried their comrades with American flags on their coffins

Trump and Vance seen saluting as they pass by casket

The president met with soldiers’ families at the Air Force base.

Trump also warned on Saturday that more American lives could be lost if more military action is taken in the Middle East as Iran continues to attack US bases.

In a post on Truth Social, he said the Republican Party promised to hit Iran “very hard” on Saturday.

‘Due to Iran’s bad behavior, the complete destruction and certain death of areas and groups of people not previously considered to be targeted is being seriously considered,’ he wrote.

But a leaked spy report by the National Intelligence Council warned that Trump’s military action could be disastrous.

In just one week, tensions in the region have risen dramatically, starting with a joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran.

Iran retaliated by targeting US military bases in the Gulf Cooperation Council, while attacks killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump has remained firm on the military strike, but a report completed by the NIC just a week ago has raised doubts about the US’s ability to topple the regime.

Nicole Amor, 39, and Cody Khork, 35, were among the soldiers whose bodies were sent home on Saturday.

Robert Marzan, 54, and Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, were among the six people killed in Iran’s drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday.

Noah Tietjens, 42, and Declan Coady, 20, were among the remains of the soldiers sent to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for dignified transfer.

Iranian drone attacked soldiers in Kuwait

NIC is a federal government agency that reports to the Director of National Intelligence. NIC members connect 18 intelligence agencies with policymakers to provide analytical assessments.

Three people familiar with the findings said: Washington Post He said Iran would likely respond to Khamenei’s death by following protocols intended to protect the regime. Sources said it was ‘unlikely’ for the Iranian opposition to take control.

Khamenei’s successor has not yet been determined. Senior members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been tasked with determining his replacement.

Ayatollah’s son Mojitaba Khamenei is said to take on the role, but Trump has previously described him as ‘incompetent’ and ‘light’.

The uncertainty of success made things difficult for six military families who, if they were alive, would have been days away from being reunited with their loved ones.

Amor’s husband, Joey, said he wasn’t really worried when he heard that his wife had to return home and that she would be sent to Kuwait. Associated Press in question.

‘You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something is going to happen and it’s painful that he was one of the first,’ he said.

O’Brien had been in the Army Reserve for nearly 15 years. His family remembered him on Facebook as ‘the sweetest blue-eyed, blond farm boy you’d ever meet.’

“He is missed so much already,” his aunt wrote.

President Donald Trump was seen arriving at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday afternoon for the honorable transfer of six soldiers who died in Kuwait.

Trump raises his fist in solidarity as he steps off the presidential plane

Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shake hands with soldiers after arriving at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday afternoon

Marzan’s sister described him as a ‘strong leader’ and a loving husband and father.

‘Little brother, you are loved and I will keep all our memories and keep them alive in my heart always,’ he wrote.

Coady’s father said his son “loved being a soldier” and was “one of the nicest people.” [sic] The people you will meet.’

‘He would do anything for anyone,’ his father said.

Khork’s family remembered him as ‘the man of the party’ with an ‘infectious spirit’ and a ‘generous heart’.

Tietjens had previously served alongside his father in Kuwait. He left behind a wife and a 12-year-old child.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst, a war veteran, said the nation ‘owes them an incredible debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.’

‘These soldiers took on the noblest of missions: protecting their fellow Americans and keeping our homeland safe,’ he said.

Smoke was seen rising in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on Saturday after Trump promised to hit the country ‘very hard’ today.

Smoke was also seen in Isfahan, Iran, on Saturday

This will be Trump’s fourth honorable transfer since his first term. This will be his second since taking office in January 2025.

Trump recently traveled to Dover in December to commemorate two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian interpreter killed in an ambush attack in the Syrian desert..

Trump went to his first dignified transfer ceremony on February 1, 2017, just a few weeks into his first term; Bill Owens, father of William ‘Ryan’ Owens, who was killed here, refused to shake the President’s hand.

The elder Owens was furious that Trump approved a raid on Yemen just six days into his term.

Trump did not return to Dover for another honorable transfer ceremony until nearly two years later, on January 19, 2019.