Pentagon releases names of first U.S. service members killed in Iran war

The Pentagon has released the names of four American service members killed during the ongoing war with Iran. They were among six who died when an Iranian strike hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait.

The Defense Department identified them as:

• 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
• Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa

They died Sunday in Port Shuaiba during an unmanned aircraft system attack, the Defense Department said Tuesday in a statement.

They were all assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines. The Pentagon said the incident is under investigation.  

The names of the two other U.S. service members who have been killed are being withheld until next of kin are notified.

U.S. Central Command initially announced Sunday that three service members were killed in Kuwait, then said Monday that another had died of their injuries. Later, they said remains of two previously unaccounted-for service members were also recovered from a facility that was hit during Iran’s initial attacks.  

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said the deadly incident happened when an incoming munition hit a tactical operations center in Kuwait. 

As of Tuesday morning, the number of seriously wounded in the U.S.-Iran conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, was down from 18 to 10 service members as they progressed through medical treatment, a U.S. official said.

In a video message Sunday night, President Trump offered his condolences to the families and warned that there will likely be more American casualties, saying combat operations “will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.”

“We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen,” Mr. Trump said. “And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had called the service members who were killed “the absolute best of America.” “May we prosecute the remainder of this operation in a manner that honors them,” he said.

The U.S. and Israel launched a massive military operation early Saturday in Iran, including striking Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei‘s compound in Tehran and killing him. The Israel Defense Forces said other Iranian officials and commanders were also killed, including an adviser to Khamenei.

Iran’s military launched retaliatory strikes on Israel and other U.S.-allied nations in the Middle East. 

On Monday, Mr. Trump said the U.S.-Israeli military operation represented the “last best chance” of addressing the threat posed by the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missiles and nuclear program, and that the administration expects the campaign to last four to five weeks.