Delaware [US], March 8 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Saturday (US local time) attended the dignified transfer of six American soldiers at the Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The six American soldiers lost their lives in the US military 'Operation Epic Fury' against Iran.

Present in attendance were First Lady Melania Trump, US Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine, Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and other officials.

The Hill reported that the soldiers were in a makeshift office space in Shuaiba Port on March 1, with no apparent warning before an Iranian drone attacked them. As per the Hill, the incident is under investigation.

Major Jeffrey R. O'Brien, Captain Cody A. Khork, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor, Sergeant First Class Noah L. Tietjens and Sergeant Declan J. Coady lost their lives in Operation Epic Fury.

On Friday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that their deaths will not be in vain. 'We will honor them with action. We will hunt down the Iranians radicals responsible, dismantle their military capabilities, and ensure that justice is swift and absolute', he wrote on X.

The United States launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran to conduct, what the US President described to the Congress as 'precision strikes' against several targets in Iran so as to protect American forces in the region and advance US national interest along with collective self-defence of regional allies, including Israel.

Meanwhile, aboard Air Force One, Trump briefed on the Operation against Iran, emphasising that they have wiped out their leadership numerous times already.

'We've wiped out their leadership numerous times already. It's if they surrender or if there is nobody around to surrender, but they're rendered useless in terms of military,' he said.

On being asked if Russia is supporting Iran, Trump said, 'I have no indications of that whatsoever. If they are, they're not doing a very good job because Iran is not doing too well'.

A joint US-Israel military strike on February 28 on Iranian territory resulted in the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, prompting a fierce response from Tehran.

In response, Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, further widening the conflict in West Asia and heightening risks for civilians and expatriates alike. (ANI)