By Jordan Freiman
News Editor
Updated March 1, 2026 / 8:21 PM EST
President Trump said in a video message Sunday that additional American casualties are likely as the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran — dubbed Operation Epic Fury — presses on “in full force.” He expressed sorrow for the fallen, urged prayer for the wounded and offered condolences to families, while warning that more losses could occur before the operation ends.
U.S. Central Command earlier announced that three U.S. service members had been killed during Operation Epic Fury; the command did not provide details on where the deaths occurred.
“We will do everything possible to prevent further loss, but America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blows to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization,” Mr. Trump said.
Delivering remarks from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the president said combat operations were continuing and would persist until U.S. objectives were met. He described those aims as “very strong” and suggested Iranian leaders could have acted sooner during negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. He warned that an Iran equipped with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would pose a grave threat to the United States.
Mr. Trump also said he was willing to speak with new Iranian leadership. In a separate phone call Sunday with The Atlantic, he said Iranian officials had indicated a desire to communicate and that he had agreed to talks, while criticizing Tehran for waiting too long to engage.
Describing Operation Epic Fury as one of the largest and most complex military offensives in history, the president said U.S. forces and allies struck “hundreds of targets in Iran,” including facilities tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian air defense systems, and nine ships and a naval base in a matter of minutes.
Mr. Trump announced that Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in a missile strike Saturday along with other senior officials, calling Khamenei “wretched and vile” and blaming him for American and other deaths. A person familiar with the matter told CBS News that CIA intelligence shared with Israel contributed to the strike.
It is not yet clear who will assume leadership in Iran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that an interim leadership council has been established and begun its work. Mr. Trump urged Iranians to rise against the regime, saying he had heard reports of people cheering in the streets after Khamenei’s death and asserting that much of Iran’s military command structure had been removed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking on ABC’s This Week, disputed that the strikes had diminished Iran’s military capability, noting that after a June attack that targeted senior commanders, replacements were quickly installed and retaliation followed within hours.
Mr. Trump defended the strikes as necessary to prevent what he described as a “radical, bloodthirsty terrorist regime” from acquiring nuclear weapons and threatening Americans. He called Iran the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and cited decades of hostility, including chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
The president urged members of the Revolutionary Guard and military police to surrender and accept offers of full immunity rather than face death, and he encouraged what he called “radiant patriots who yearn for freedom” to seize the moment and restore their country, saying the United States stood with them.
In closing, Mr. Trump said he had fulfilled a promise and that what came next would be up to the Iranian people, with U.S. support available. He thanked American troops and offered blessings to the nation.