Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that more casualties are expected in the ongoing Operation Epic Fury in Iran, with seven US soldiers killed in the fighting so far.
Hegseth made the comment during an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday.
“The president is right when he says there will be casualties,” Hegseth said. “Things like this don’t happen without victims.”
“There will be more victims,” he continued. “And no one is – I mean, our generation especially knows what it’s like to see Americans come home in coffins, that’s what it is – but that doesn’t weaken us one bit. It stiffens our spine and our resolve to say this is a fight we will end.”
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U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks at the ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit in Miami, Florida, March 7, 2026. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
Six U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian drone strike on March 1 in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, while supporting Operation Epic Fury. The US military said a seventh soldier died from injuries sustained in an Iranian attack on troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1.
The US and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran last week. Iran has retaliated and launched attacks against Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Residents watch and take photos as flames and smoke rise from an oil storage facility hit when attacks hit the city during the US-Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Alireza Sotakbar/ISNA via AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said this on Sunday NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that if the US deploys ground troops in Iran, “we will have very brave soldiers waiting for any enemy that invades our territory, to fight them and kill them and destroy them.”
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“We never give up, we never surrender and we will continue to resist as long as it takes,” he said. “We continue to defend ourselves, and we defend our territory, our people and our dignity. And our dignity is not for sale.”
When reporters asked President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One on Saturday about possible ground troops being deployed in the Iran operation, the president said there would have to be “a very good reason.”
From left to right, President Donald Trump, White House Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, center, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth listen to a reporter’s question as he travels aboard Air Force One en route from Dover Air Force Base, Del., to Miami, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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‘And I would say, if we ever did, [Iran] would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight on the ground,” Trump told reporters.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
