Updated March 1, 2026 at 1:56 PM MST
AMMAN, Jordan and WASHINGTON — Three U.S. service members were killed and at least five seriously wounded in the war against Iran, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday — the first American casualties since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Saturday.
A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that the troops who were killed were ground-based forces stationed in Kuwait. The U.S. military said several other service members were returning to duty after sustaining what it called "minor shrapnel injuries and concussions."
As the U.S. military detailed the scope of its operation, 'Epic Fury,' Central Command said Sunday it had struck an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette, a small warship, and that the ship was sinking at a pier at an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.
In a separate post, the military said U.S. B-2 stealth bombers, armed with 2,000-lb bombs, struck Iran's ballistic missile facilities on Saturday night. Over 1,000 targets have been struck, according to CENTCOM.
President Trump, meanwhile, said U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval ships and "largely destroyed" Iran's naval headquarters. U.S. Central Command would not confirm the claim.
Still, Trump warned more attacks were coming. "We are going after the rest — They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The latest military updates came as the war's scope widened across the region. Israel launched a fresh wave of attacks in Iran Sunday, with explosions heard in the Iranian capital. Israel's military said it is striking targets belonging to "the Iranian terror regime" located "in the heart of Tehran." The Israeli Air Force said it conducted large-scale strikes to establish air superiority and "pave the path to Tehran."
Iranian state media Saturday confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed in air strikes targeting his office in Tehran. An Iran state broadcaster delivered the news in tears. Khamenei assumed the position of spiritual leader after the death in 1989 of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — leader of Iran's Islamic revolution.
On Sunday, Israel's military said it carried out a "precise, large-scale operation" targeting Khamenei at what it described as a central leadership compound in the heart of Tehran.
Iran appoints temporary leadership council
Iran said it had established a three-person temporary leadership council to govern the country under Islamic law before a panel of Shia clerics chooses a new supreme leader.
Trump said new potential leadership in Iran has also indicated they want to talk, and he plans to talk to them eventually, a senior White House official told NPR, without specifying any timeline.
Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR's All Things Considered on Sunday that 158 students were killed at an elementary school in Minab, in southern Iran. "Some of them are still under the rubble. Today, they hit hospitals in the center of Tehran," Baghaei told NPR.
Iran blames Israel for the strike. The Israeli military told reporters it is not aware of its forces operating in the area of the school strike Saturday. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson, told NPR late Saturday, that the U.S. was aware of reports of civilian harm and said it was "looking into them."
"The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimize the risk of unintended harm. Unlike Iran, we have never — and will never — target civilians," Hawkins said.
On Sunday, mourners packed Tehran's Enghelab Square and public spaces in other cities to mark what they consider Khamenei's martyrdom. In the southwestern city of Yasuj, videos posted to social media showed a large crowd chanting "the lion of God has been killed." NPR could not independently verify the footage.
A Tehran resident, who asked to be identified only as Roxana for fear of regime retaliation, said some people who had taken part in past protests celebrated Khamenei's death — but she said a friend was later shot in his back and his leg by security forces as young people danced in the street.
She added that her friend could not go to hospital in fear of arrest.
Middle East region on high alert
Across the region, security tightened and air defenses went on alert.
In Iraq, where Iran-backed paramilitaries are part of official government security forces, the government blocked entrances to Baghdad's green zone to protect the U.S. and other embassies based there. They deployed riot police against a group of militia members trying to breach the barricades.
In Jordan, which hosts major U.S. military bases, residents reported air raid sirens and the thud of missiles being intercepted.
The oil-rich Gulf, long seen as a safe haven for expatriates and the economic engine for countries that provide most of its skilled and unskilled labor, faced perhaps the biggest shocks.
Iran on Saturday and Sunday targeted luxury hotels and high-rise apartments believed to house U.S. personnel. Instead of the usual flood of social influencer posts basking in the winter sunshine of Dubai and its neighboring emirates, videos of drones striking high-rise buildings dominated social media feeds. Some images showed smoke filling part of the concourse of Dubai's airport as staff fled the building.
The attacks shut down several major airport hubs in the Middle East, including Dubai's international airport, one of the world's busiest. The airport and the emirate's famed Burj Al Arab hotel were damaged in Iranian attacks. Other projectiles also hit airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.
Iran vows to fight "foreign aggression, foreign domination"
Iran Sunday threatened its biggest wave of attacks yet on Israel and U.S. military bases. It also reiterated threats to attack shipping and announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz.
"There will be no mercy or forgiveness in taking revenge for the leader," the Iranian ministry of defense said in a statement.
Esmail Baghaei, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight "foreign aggression, foreign domination."
"This is an unjust war imposed on our nation. And we have no other choice other than fighting against this injustice," Baghaei said.
Asked about the death of U.S. military personnel, Baghaei said: "We have no problem with the American people. And we believe that this is not their war. This is the U.S. administration's war of choice."
In Israel Sunday, at least nine people were been killed and others wounded in an Iranian missile attack near Jerusalem, according to Israeli officials.
The OPEC group of oil producing countries was set to meet Sunday to decide on increasing production, hoping to avoid a severe rise in oil prices if supplies from the Gulf are restricted by the conflict.
Trump warned Iran against further retaliation, writing that if Iran escalated, the U.S. would respond with "a force that has never been seen before." Trump also told CNBC Sunday military operations in Iran were "ahead of schedule."
"We're doing our job not just for us but for the world. And everything is ahead of schedule," Trump said.
Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv. Carrie Kahn contributed to this report from Istanbul.
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