After first US casualties, Trump warns there could be more
Trump paid tribute to the three killed as "true American patriots"
The first US casualties of the campaign, including the deaths of three service personnel, were confirmed yesterday (1 March). Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the US service members were killed on a base in Kuwait.
Trump paid tribute to the three killed as "true American patriots" but warned that there will likely be more casualties. "That's the way it is," he said.
An extended military campaign could pose a major political risk for Trump's Republican Party ahead of the US midterm elections that could decide the fate of Congress. Only around one in four Americans approve of the operation, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Sunday.
But in a video posted on Sunday, Trump vowed military strikes on Iran will continue until "all our objectives are achieved" without providing specifics. He said the assault had so far wiped out Iran's military command and destroyed nine Iranian navy ships and a naval building.
American aircraft and warships have struck more than 1,000 Iranian targets since the start of major combat operations on Saturday, the US military said.
The United States and Israel have launched coordinated strikes on multiple locations across Iran, including the capital Tehran, in what US President Donald Trump described as "major combat operations" on 28 February.
