Washington, D.C. (Diplomat.so) - At Dover Air Force Base on Saturday, Donald Trump presided over a solemn military ceremony to receive the remains of six American service members killed during the first week of the war involving the United States and Iran, as U.S. military officials rejected Iranian claims that American troops had been captured.
Standing on the tarmac wearing a white cap with gold "USA” lettering, US President Donald Trump delivered a military salute as flag-draped transfer cases carrying the fallen soldiers were moved from a military aircraft to waiting vehicles during the dignified transfer ceremony.
The six troops were Army reservists deployed to Kuwait and assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command headquartered in Des Moines, according to information reported by Diplomat News Network citing U.S. military officials. Their identities have not yet been publicly released while the notification process for families continues.
The ceremony took place as U.S. forces reported a rapid pace of military operations during the opening phase of the conflict. In a statement released Friday, United States Central Command said American forces had struck more than 3,000 targets during the first week of hostilities with Iran.
CENTCOM said the strikes targeted command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, missile launch sites, and elements of Iran’s naval forces. According to the statement, at least 43 Iranian vessels were damaged or destroyed during the operations.
At the same time, U.S. military officials moved to counter Iranian claims circulating online that American soldiers had been captured.
The denial followed a social media post by Ali Larijani, who said he had received reports indicating that several U.S. troops had fallen into Iranian custody.
Responding to the claim, United States Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins dismissed the allegation, saying the Iranian government was attempting to spread misinformation about the conflict.
U.S. officials also rejected Iranian media reports claiming that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had been sunk. CENTCOM released new photographs Saturday showing the carrier operating in the Arabian Sea, stating the images demonstrate the ship remains active and fully operational in the region.
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