Trump Addresses American Deaths After Striking Iran, Says 'Sadly, There Will Likely Be More' & 'That's the Way It Is'
Donald Trump is speaking out about American deaths after launching a military strike dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” on Iran.
The 79-year-old president announced that the United States had undertaken “major combat operations in Iran” in an address shared on Saturday (February 28). Later that day, he confirmed that Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in a post on Truth Social.
Iran countered, attacking American military bases across the Middle East, NPR reported.
The ongoing action has resulted in the deaths of three U.S. service members with other American soldiers left “seriously wounded,” according to reporting by the U.S. Central Command on X.
Trump addressed the dead in a video shared on Sunday (March 1), implying that he expected more U.S. service members to die in the coming days.
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“As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives,” the president said in a video shared by the White House.
Continuing, he added, “We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen.”
“And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more,” Trump said. “But, we’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case, but America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization.”
Describing “Operation Epic Fury” as being “one of the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever seen,” Trump said that they had “hit hundreds of targets” and killed Khamenei, described as “a wretched and vile man” who “had the blood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands.”
Trump urged any Iranian resistance to surrender, saying that otherwise they faced “certain death,” adding, “It won’t be pretty.”
“Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved,” he said.
Regarding the decision to strike Iran, which comes after repeated warnings, he said, “These actions are right and they are necessary to ensure that Americans will never have to face a radical, bloodthirsty terrorist regime armed with nuclear weapons and lots of threats.”
Earlier this year, the president shared a map that appeared to suggest U.S. plans for expansion into three foreign territories.