Four US service members have been killed in action and four are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, during which the US and partner forces struck Iran with with air and missile strikes on more than 1,000 targets across the country.
Early on March 1, the military confirmed three deaths, and five seriously injured. The next day, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that one of the injured had died.
Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and will be returned to duty, CENTCOM said.
The confirmation came shortly after the Iranian government said it struck the Coronado-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in retaliation for Epic Fury.
However, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X that this was not true.
“The Lincoln was not hit,” the post reads. “The missiles launched didn’t even come close.”
Out of respect for the victims and their families, CENTCOM has not yet released the names of the service members who were killed. The deaths do not appear connected to Iran’s claims of attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier whose home port is Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI).
Operation Epic Fury was launched Feb. 28 at the direction of President Donald Trump. Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
