About 140 US troops injured, 8 severely, so far in Iran war, Pentagon says
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran. The Islamic Republic, its firepower diminished, vowed to fight on. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war’s aim is a popular overthrow of Iran’s government, and “we are breaking their bones.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. President Donald Trump “is not making anything up” as he offers varying justifications for launching the war.
The U.S. stock market and oil prices were holding relatively steady Tuesday after Trump’s signals about how long the war could last caused wild swings in financial and fuel markets. The Pentagon, meanwhile, offered its first tally of American wounded, saying about 140 U.S. troops have been injured, 8 severely.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any suggestion of seeking a ceasefire, while another top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, warned Trump himself, writing on X that “Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”
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About 140 US troops have been injured in Iran war, 8 severely, and 108 returned to duty, Pentagon says
The Pentagon says about 140 U.S. service members have been wounded in conflict with Iran.
“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in an emailed statement. Eight are currently “severely injured,” Parnell added.
These numbers are the first insight into the broader toll of injuries sustained by U.S. troops after a barrage of retaliatory rocket and drone strikes from Iran that also killed seven soldiers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Residents of Tehran report some of the war’s heaviest airstrikes
They say extensive strikes led to electricity cuts in many western neighborhoods. One resident who lives in the western part of the capital said his neighborhood was shaking for half an hour because of strikes around midnight.
Another resident said he didn’t think he would survive the night.
A 27-year-old mother of a toddler said she witnessed a residential building get hit. She and others reached by The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity to prevent reprisals. Iranian media said civilians were the main casualties in the overnight strikes. AP could not independently confirm the claims.
On Tuesday, Tehran’s streets were less crowded and many private businesses closed their offices earlier, fearing more strikes.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran.
— Jon Gambrell
UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on Lebanon fighting
Humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher will brief the Security Council at an emergency meeting Wednesday morning, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
France called for the meeting with support from the council’s other European members: the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Latvia. Paris expressed deep concern about escalating violence in Lebanon, where Israel has resumed deadly airstrikes, and condemned Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since March 1.
France’s Foreign Ministry urged Hezbollah “to end its operations and hand over its weapons” and on Israel “to refrain from any land-based or long-term interventions in Lebanon.”
Putin speaks with Iran’s president a day after a call with Trump
Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the need for a political settlement to the war during his phone call Tuesday with Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian.
Putin also reaffirmed his “principled position in favor of a quick de-escalation of the conflict,” the Kremlin said in a readout, adding that Pezeshkian thanked Putin for Russia’s support, including humanitarian assistance.
The two men last spoke by phone on Friday, and their second official call of the war comes a day after the Russian leader discussed the conflict with Trump.
Israeli fire kills 1 person in Gaza
Several people also were wounded when Israeli forces fired at a house in central Gaza’s Zawaida area on Tuesday, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli strikes during the current war with Iran, killing at least 18 Palestinians, Gaza’s Health Ministry says. Nearly 650 people in Gaza have been killed since Israel and Hamas agreed to a fragile ceasefire deal in October, according to the ministry.
Gaza’s militants have so far stayed on the sidelines during the current U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
