Centcom and centcom cited after Trump says U.S. sank nine Iranian ships
U. S. -Israeli strikes continued Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, and President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that U. S. military forces "sunk 9 Iranian Naval ships, some of them relatively large and important. " centcom was invoked when U. S. Central Command debunked an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claim that a U. S. military aircraft was struck in a social media post.
Casualties and injuries reported
It was reported on Sunday that three U. S. service members were killed, and five seriously injured in the strikes. The identities of the victims were not made available.
Trump's Truth Social post claim
In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump revealed that the U. S. military forces "sunk 9 Iranian Naval ships, some of them relatively large and important. " Khamanei’s death has thrown the future of the Islamic Republic into uncertainty and poses the risk of creating regional instability.
Explosions in Tehran and smoke
On Sunday, there were explosions in Tehran as Israel made its way through Iran’s capital. A plume of smoke rose after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in a photograph by Vahid Salemi.
Centcom and U. S. Central Command
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that a U. S. military aircraft was struck, and on Sunday U. S. Central Command debunked that claim in a social media post. The text of the Central Command post was used to counter the IRGC statement; centcom references were evident in the public messaging around the events.
Missiles, drones and targets
Iran has retaliated by firing missiles and drones at U. S. and Israeli military bases as well as the Saudi capital and the global business hub of Dubai. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has made threats to launch its "most intense offensive operation" ever, targeting U. S. and Israeli bases. Meanwhile, Iran has selected a 66-year-old cleric to join the leadership council that is currently governing the country until a new supreme leader is chosen.
