BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — The U.S. military reported on Sunday that another American service member was killed in the ongoing conflict with Iran, raising the total number of U.S. military deaths to 17. The situation highlights the risks faced by American forces in the region, which are involved in operations that include the use of drones, missiles, and aircraft, despite not being deployed on the ground.
The conflict escalated following a breakdown in peace talks, with President Donald Trump stating that military action is necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The first fatalities occurred shortly after the war began on February 28, when an Iranian drone strike on a civilian port in Kuwait resulted in the deaths of six American soldiers from a supply and logistics unit based in Iowa. A seventh soldier died from injuries sustained during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
In March, six service members were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq during operations against Iran. The U.S. Central Command reported that the aircraft was in friendly airspace at the time of the incident.
On July 1, a Navy pilot died in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea, which was initially described as an emergency landing without indications of hostile action. Three other sailors were rescued from the helicopter.
On Friday, two service members were killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian missile and drone attacks, with a third service member reported missing. The military confirmed that unidentified remains were found and are under examination.
The most recent U.S. military death occurred on Saturday in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, resulting in one additional service member being wounded.
The conflict has also resulted in casualties beyond American forces, with Iranian authorities reporting at least 50 deaths and over 500 injuries from U.S. strikes in the past three weeks, including eight killed in a strike on a bridge on Friday. Civilians, including foreign workers in Gulf nations, Israel, and Lebanon, have also been affected by the ongoing conflict.