Iranian media report six naval personnel killed in U.S. strikes; Tehran retaliates
Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday that six members of the Iranian Army's naval forces were killed in U.S. attacks during the latest escalation in West Asia. The agency said the six died during a wave of U.S. strikes on Tuesday, but it did not specify where they were killed.
Other Iranian media reports gave a broader account of casualties across the country. Seven people were reported killed in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, while four members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps died in Kermanshah province. Three paramilitaries were reported killed on Lavan island in the Gulf, and another person died in Fars province. It was not immediately clear whether the six naval personnel were among the seven already reported dead in Khuzestan.
The overlapping and sometimes contradictory reports have made it difficult to establish an exact toll or the precise locations of the deaths. Tasnim did not say whether the six sailors were killed on vessels or on shore, nor did it provide their names.
The reported deaths followed an extensive U.S. bombardment of sites across Iran that, according to Iranian officials, left at least 19 people dead. President Donald Trump said his military was prepared to attack Iran "any time we want," threatening further strikes in what has become a volatile conflict now in its sixth month.
Tehran retaliated by saying it had attacked U.S. military bases in Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. Iranian media said on Thursday that the strikes included attacks on American bases in Kuwait. There was no immediate confirmation from U.S. Central Command on those attacks or on the reported U.S. casualties.
The latest exchange marks a significant escalation in direct U.S.-Iranian hostilities, which have been ongoing for six months. The conflict has drawn in several Gulf countries that host U.S. military installations. Each round of strikes raises the risk of a wider regional war.
Independent verification of events on the ground is extremely difficult, as access for foreign journalists is limited in both Iran and the United States' military facilities in the region. Official statements from both governments have been used to shape public narratives, and casualty counts often differ depending on the source.
International organisations, including the United Nations, have called for an immediate de-escalation and a return to diplomacy. However, apart from these appeals, there appears to be little active mediation under way. The United States and Iran have not held direct talks since the conflict began.
Analysts say that the cycle of retaliation could persist unless external pressure forces a ceasefire. For now, civilians on both sides remain at risk, with the true human cost of the conflict still unknown.
