Iran War Death Toll: The 18 U.S. Service Members Killed in the War So Far

Since the Iran war began on February 28, 2026, 18 American service members have died. The last of them, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, was confirmed dead on July 22 after being listed as missing for five days. He is one of 18 names now on the Pentagon's official casualty list. More than 553 additional troops have been wounded over the same period.

The deaths came in five separate incidents. On March 1, a drone attack on the Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait killed six: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42; Sgt. Declan Coady, 20; Maj. Jeffrey O'Brien, 45; and Capt. Cody Khork, 35, all assigned to the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command. Two more died that same week: Maj. Sorffly Davius, 46, in a non-combat death at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, on March 6, and Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, who died March 8 of wounds from a separate attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

On March 12, a KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq, killing six crew members: Maj. John "Alex" Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana Savino, 31; Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34; Capt. Seth Koval, 38; Capt. Curtis Angst, 34; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28.

On July 19, Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton was killed in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone. A day earlier, an Iranian ballistic missile struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killing 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, and leaving Rampersad missing until his death was confirmed days later.

How the Administration Has Responded to the Iran War Death Toll

After the first three deaths in early March, the response to reporters was, "Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That's the way it is." A statement to NewsNation added, "We hate to see it happen. It's in service to our country," and a Truth Social post read, "Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!"

On July 22, the same day Rampersad's death was confirmed, a Truth Social post compared war tolls: "Afghanistan War: 20 years, 2,000 DEAD… Iran Military Conflict: 4 months, 18 DEAD." The post did not mention the more than 553 troops wounded in the same period. The war has also been described by the President as "a skirmish with the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The war has not ended. A ceasefire that held for several months collapsed again in early July, and casualty counts on both sides continue to rise.