In first major blowback after Khamenei death, US forces suffer casualties amid Iran missile barrage

The escalating U.S.–Israel confrontation with Iran has claimed its first American lives. U.S. Central Command confirmed that three service members were killed and several others wounded as Iranian missiles and drones targeted bases across the Gulf. While some troops returned to duty after minor injuries, identities of the fallen are being withheld pending family notifications. Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards have vowed to strike “with force,” even claiming a missile attack on USS Abraham Lincoln — a claim CENTCOM denies. As missiles continue to fly, fears of wider regional war are mounting.