President Donald Trump said Sunday that Pentagon projections indicate U.S. casualties in the escalating conflict with Iran could climb beyond the three service members killed so far.
But the president vowed that the mission would continue.
Speaking about 36 hours into the fighting, Trump acknowledged the toll could rise as operations continue.
“Three is three too many as far as I’m concerned,” Trump said in a six-minute interview. “If you look at projections — they do projections — it could be quite a bit higher than that.”
The president spoke from Mar-a-Lago shortly after receiving word of the deaths of the three Americans. He said he could only speak briefly because he was preparing to meet with “the generals” as the conflict intensified.
Despite the warning, Trump expressed confidence that Iran has already been significantly weakened and will ultimately yield to U.S. and Israeli pressure.
“The country has been very substantially weakened, to put it mildly,” he said.
Earlier Sunday, in a recorded address posted on his social media platform, Trump also acknowledged the likelihood of additional losses while honoring the fallen troops.
“As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives,” Trump said. “We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen.”
“And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends,” he continued. “That’s the way it is likely to be. But we’ll do everything possible so that won’t be the case.”
