Four of six U.S. service members killed in the Iran war died when a drone struck a port in Kuwait on Sunday, U.S. Army Reserve Command said Tuesday.
The U.S. government has said six U.S. service members have been killed in the military operation that started early Saturday with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones in nearby countries.
Four Army reservists died when a drone struck Port Shuabia, Kuwait, Army Reserve Command said.
They were identified Tuesday as:
- Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla.
- Sgt. 1stClass Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.
- Sgt. 1stClass Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.
- Spc. Declan J. Coady, 20, West Des Moines, Iowa.
All four were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, the command said.
The identities and the circumstances of the other two killed U.S. service members have not been released.
In addition to the deaths, 18 other U.S. service members have suffered serious injuries, a U.S. official told NBC News on Monday.
“We honor our fallen Heroes, who served fearlessly and selflessly in defense of our nation. Their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families, will never be forgotten,” Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, Chief of Army Reserve and commanding general U.S. Army Reserve Command, said in a statement.
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks in Iran around 1:15 a.m. ET Saturday, using “precision munitions launched from air, land and sea” and one-way drones, Central Command has said.
Iran’s Red Crescent said nearly 800 people have been killed in Israeli and American strikes.
Iran responded to the U.S. and Israeli strikes by launching missiles and drones at targets in surrounding nations. Eleven people have been killed in Israel, officials said, and deaths were reported in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday that it launched 230 attack drones on a U.S. base in Erbil, Iraq, and the U.S. Ali Al Salem and Arifjan bases in Kuwait, semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
The military action could last weeks, President Donald Trump said Monday. “We projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,” the presdient said then.
Trump and other administration officials have said that the U.S. attacked Iran because of an imminent threat and after nuclear talks failed to reach an agreement.
Some members of Congress have questioned that assessment and Trump’s power to attack Iran without seeking approval from Congress. Democrats and some Republicans plan to force a war powers vote that would restrict Trump’s ability to carry out further attacks in Iran.
Iran’s Red Crescent has said nearly 800 people were killed in Israeli and American strikes. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was also killed, Iranian state media has confirmed.
