US Death Toll in Iran Conflict Rises to 6

The US death toll from the US-Iran conflict has risen to six, CNN reports. US Central Command on Monday announced the new toll from an Iranian strike on a temporary American operations hub at Kuwait's Shuaiba port after the remains of two previously missing service members were recovered from the wreckage. The six service members are the first US troops killed in action since Washington launched "Operation Epic Fury" against Iran over the weekend. The Pentagon says next of kin are still being notified and the fallen have not yet been publicly identified. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday warned that more American casualties are likely to follow, but also promised, "This is not Iraq. This is not endless," the AP reports. President Trump, however, said Monday that the US has "the capability to go far longer" than the four or five weeks he initially estimated the conflict would last, the AP reports.

The attack hit just after 9am Sunday local time, according to a source familiar with the incident, who described a direct hit on the center of a triple-wide trailer being used as a fortified tactical operations center. Hegseth said one incoming projectile got through US air defenses; officials have previously described the strike as likely involving a drone. The source said there were no sirens or warning before the blast, and hours later parts of the structure were still burning, its interior charred and walls blown outward. Satellite imagery from that morning showed a building at the port ablaze, with thick smoke rising.

CENTCOM initially reported three dead and did not name the location. A fourth victim later died from their injuries, CBS News reports. Dozens of personnel had been at the site, the source said, and it took time to reach the last two victims as fires continued to burn in portions of the building. In a Monday update, the command said US forces had "recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members" from the facility hit "during Iran's initial attacks." A spokesperson added that 18 US troops have been seriously wounded across the broader operation.