US death toll rises in Iran operation
U.S. Navy sailors move ordnance on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford while supporting the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location February 28, 2026. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY

The United States Central Command announced that the death toll of service members in Operation Epic Fury had risen to six as of Monday afternoon.

"As of 4 pm ET, March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action. U.S. 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," CENTCOM said in a statement. "Major combat operations continue. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification."

On Sunday, President Donald Trump addressed the first three deaths in the operation, noting that more were expected.

"We expect casualties with something like this," Trump told NBC at the time. "We have three, but we expect casualties - but in the end it's going to be a great deal for the world."