The United States has carried out more than 1,000 strikes on Iranian targets since President Donald Trump ordered major combat operations to begin on Saturday, marking one of the most expansive US military offensives in the Middle East in years. According to the US military, the campaign has included B‑2 stealth bombers dropping 2,000‑lb munitions on hardened underground missile sites deep inside Iran.
But Iran’s retaliation is already taking a toll. After initially reporting no casualties, the Pentagon confirmed on Sunday that three US troops were killed and five others seriously wounded during operations linked to the conflict. Several more suffered minor shrapnel injuries and concussions. Two US officials told Reuters the fatalities occurred at a US base in Kuwait, underscoring how quickly the conflict has spread across the region.
In a video address, Trump acknowledged the deaths the first US fatalities since he returned to office and warned Americans to brace for more. “Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” he said, vowing that the United States would “avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization.”
Michael Waltz, the US envoy to the United Nations, echoed the sentiment, writing on X: “Freedom is never free.”
Trump also suggested the military campaign could last up to four weeks, describing Iran as a “big country” that would take time to neutralize. “It’s always been a four‑week process,” he said.
Iran, meanwhile, insisted it is prepared for a prolonged confrontation. Its foreign minister said Tehran had studied “the defeats of the US military to our immediate east and west,” referring to Afghanistan and Iraq, and had “incorporated lessons accordingly.” He added that bombings in the capital would not affect Iran’s ability to wage war.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows the American public is deeply divided over the conflict: 27% approve of the strikes, 43% disapprove, and 29% remain unsure. Nearly nine in ten respondents said they were aware of the escalating situation.
As the fighting intensifies and casualties rise, global concern is mounting over how far the conflict could spread and how long the United States is prepared to sustain a campaign of this scale.
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