The US Central Command has released the names of the first four soldiers killed in combat with Iran after confirming six fatalities from an Iranian drone attack that penetrated air defense systems to strike a US tactical operations center at Shuwaiba port, Kuwait, last Sunday.
Initially, only three deaths were reported, but on Monday (2 Mar), officials confirmed the death toll had doubled after one soldier succumbed to wounds and two more bodies were recovered from the wreckage. This group represents the only confirmed American military fatalities since the start of the conflict with Iran.
The military disclosed the names of four of the six reservists as follows:
Captain Cody Cork, 35, from Florida, who had prior deployments in Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, and Poland.
Staff Sergeant Noah Titjens, 42, from Nebraska, who had been deployed to Kuwait twice before.
Staff Sergeant Nicole Amore, 39, from Minnesota, with previous missions in Kuwait and Iraq.
Staff Sergeant Declan Cody, 20, from Iowa, who was posthumously promoted and had served only three years.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the weapons used by Iran were highly destructive and targeted a reinforced operations center. However, sources told BBC-affiliated media that the soldiers were working in a temporary office container, surrounded by a 12-foot reinforced concrete wall, raising questions about whether the base had adequate protection against such new threats.
Iran responded to US attacks by continuously launching missiles at Gulf countries allied with the US, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar, where more than 13,000 American troops are currently stationed in Kuwait.
Additionally, the US confirmed that three fighter jets crashed in Kuwait on Monday due to an accidental 'friendly fire' incident; all pilots ejected safely and survived, despite Iranian official media claims that the Iranian military was responsible for shooting down the aircraft.
President Donald Trump and other senior officials warned that the conflict with Iran would likely result in more American military deaths as Iran continues to retaliate against US and Israeli strikes.
On Tuesday, US Central Command reported that Iran has launched more than 500 missiles and over 2,000 drones in retaliatory attacks across the Middle East so far.
Concerns over the risks to US forces in the Middle East were highlighted during a closed briefing to Congress members by Pete Hegseth, General Dan Kene, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.