Iran targeted American assets and allies in the Middle East in retaliatory attacks and the U.S.-Israeli bombardment deepened Tuesday, with President Donald Trump claiming Iran’s radar capabilities and its entire navy had been taken out.
“They no longer have air protection,” Trump said at the White House. “They no longer have any detection facilities at all left, and so they’re going to, they’re going to be in for a lot of hurt.”
In a video posted late on Tuesday, Admiral Brad Cooper from U.S. Central Command said the U.S. and Israel have jointly struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions since the start of the operation on Saturday.
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“We’re focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us,” Cooper said, adding that the goal is to also sink the entire Iranian navy.
Cooper said 17 Iranian ships already have been destroyed, including a key submarine.
“Today there’s not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, or Gulf of Oman,” he said.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 787 people in the first four days of the war. Six American service members have died in Kuwait since the war began Saturday.
The Pentagon late Tuesday released the names of four killed: Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska.; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota.; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
The service members, all of whom were with the same Des Moines Army Reserve unit, died on March 1 in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait during an unmanned aircraft system attack. The incident remains under investigation.
U.S. embassies across the Middle East have urged Americans to leave as soon as possible. The State Department is “actively securing military aircraft and charter flights” to transport U.S. citizens seeking to leave the Middle East, according to a post on X from Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs.
Dubai authorities said Tuesday that a fire caused by a “drone-related incident” near the U.S. consulate was contained, with no injuries reported.
The embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, issued a shelter in place order, with that country’s defense ministry said the compound was struck by drones Monday.
The American Embassies in Kuwait and Lebanon also announced its closure until further notice. And the U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan, said Monday that it evacuated all personnel “due to a threat.”
The initial Israel-U.S. attack on Iran, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has set off fears of a conflict that threatens to plunge the region into chaos. Iran has sent a barrage of strikes at Gulf states that host U.S. military bases, most of which have been intercepted.
Congressional lawmakers have been split on the attack on Iran. Democrats have overwhelmingly criticized Trump’s decision to act without Congress’ approval, while Republicans have mostly been supportive of U.S. military action. There is, however, growing bipartisan concern about the administration’s lack of clarity about its goals and timeline for the operation against Iran.
Trump has offered moving expectations for how long the operation will last. In a post on Truth Social on Monday night, he said the U.S.’ has a “virtually unlimited supply” of weapons and that “wars can be fought ‘forever.’”
His administration has also offered varying explanations for both the decision to go to war and the goals of the campaign. On Tuesday, Trump cited self-defense after what he considered a breakdown in talks over Iran’s nuclear program.
“You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. They were going to attack. If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that,” he said.
The White House formally informed Congress of the attack on Iran on Monday. In a letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, which MS NOW obtained, Trump said that the strikes were aimed at protecting the U.S., its forces in the region, advance its national interest and “in collective self-defense of our regional allies, including Israel.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Mychael Schnell and Simone Perez contributed to this report.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.