Defense & National Security Newsletter Death toll rises in Trump’s ‘Epic Fury’ military campaign by Ellen Mitchell - 03/02/26 5:58 PM ET by Ellen Mitchell - 03/02/26 5:58 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on February 28, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. After explosions were seen in the Iranian capital, the office of the Israeli Defense Minister issued a statement saying it had launched a preemptive strike against the country. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images) 96 Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense & National Security Defense & National Security   The Big Story  Death toll rises in Trump’s ‘Epic Fury’ military campaign The U.S. military said on Monday that six U.S. service members have been killed  since the U.S. and Israel launched a striking campaign against Iran over the weekend. © AP American forces recovered the remains of two service members from a facility that was hit during Iran’s “initial attacks” in the region, U.S. Central Command (Centcom)  said Monday afternoon on the social platform X.    “ Major combat operations continue ,” Centcom said. “The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification.”   Earlier on Monday, Centcom said a fourth U.S. service member was killed , suffering from serious wounds and eventually “succumbed to their injuries.”    Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran following weeks of tension between Washington and Tehran. Quickly after the strikes, Iran retaliated through attacks against Israel and Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.   On Sunday, the U.S. announced three service members had been killed in the fighting against Iran. Centcom also said in a Sunday morning update that five service members had been seriously injured.   President Trump on Sunday afternoon discussed the conflict against Iran and said it was “likely” that additional U.S. service members would die.    “We pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen,” Trump said in a video posted to Truth Social. “And sadly, there will be likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is. ”   The president later spoke about the estimated length of the campaign, telling CNN that he “always thought it would be four weeks” and noted the U.S. is a “little ahead of schedule.”   Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, said Monday that there are no boots on the ground in Iran currently — but he did not say whether the U.S. will eventually send troops to the country.   “No, but we’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do ,” he said.    Read the full report at thehill.com .   Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads   How policy will affect defense and national security now and in the future:   Trump gambles on Iran regime change despite GOP history, anti-war MAGA wing President Trump’s extraordinary attack on Iran, which took out the country’s supreme leader, has echoes of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that history shows hasn’t always been a success. It also goes against Trump’s long-storied criticism of his predecessors intervening abroad and the “forever wars” that resulted — something that has jostled those at the heart of his “America First” MAGA base. But as with any gamble, …  Full Story   Oil, gasoline prices jump amid Iran strikes, with future uncertain The U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran have surged oil prices, and costs for consumers at the pump are expected to rise. The price of global benchmark Brent Crude oil was at about $77 per barrel as of Monday afternoon, up from about $71 a week ago and about $66 per barrel a month ago. U.S. gasoline prices were also up Monday following the weekend’s strikes, averaging about $3 per gallon nationwide, up 6 cents from a week ago and 12 …  Full Story   Tucker Carlson sought to talk Trump out of Iran war: Report Tucker Carlson reportedly sought to talk President Trump out of going to war with Iran, The New York Times reported Monday. In a lengthy piece that outlined how Trump, at the urging of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to launch military action against Iran, the newspaper reported that Carlson met with the president three times in the Oval Office over t