Another U.S. military service member has died from injuries sustained during Iran’s initial counter-attack last week, raising the total number of American troops killed in action in the conflict to seven, the U.S. military confirmed on Sunday.
“Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East. The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on US troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 1,” said U.S. Central Command in a statement.
CENTCOM added that the service member’s identity will remain confidential until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified.
Later on Sunday, CENTCOM reported another death, describing it as a “health-related incident in Kuwait on March 6 during a medical emergency.”
The soldier, a member of the National Guard, is under review, with CENTCOM referring to the National Guard for further updates.
These fatalities follow the deaths of six U.S. Army Reserve soldiers who were killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait.
In response to Iran’s claims, CENTCOM dismissed remarks made by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani on X/Twitter, who alleged that several American soldiers had been captured.
“The Iranian regime’s claims of capturing American soldiers are yet another example of its lies and deceptions,” a CENTCOM spokesperson told Al Jazeera Arabic.
Larijani, in his post, claimed that multiple U.S. soldiers were seized during Operation Epic Fury, suggesting that Washington had reported them as killed to conceal the capture.
He wrote, “It has been reported to me that several American soldiers have been taken prisoner. But the Americans claim that they have been killed in action. Despite their futile efforts, the truth is not something they can hide for too long.”
