The Pentagon on Wednesday identified Major Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California, as the final two American service members killed in an Iranian drone attack Saturday in Kuwait, bringing the total U.S. Military deaths to six.
The initial announcement on Tuesday identified Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sergeant 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sergeant 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Sergeant Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, as having died in the attack at Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. Marzan is believed to have died at the scene, according to the Pentagon, with positive identification pending a medical examiner’s report.
The deaths occurred as tensions escalated following President Donald Trump’s announcement of “major combat operations” against Iran on Saturday, in response to strikes targeting military and government sites. Iranian state television reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in the airstrikes in Tehran, though a successor has not yet been named.
Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. Bases, and multiple Gulf nations. A second ballistic missile launched from Iran on Wednesday was intercepted, according to the defense ministry. The Israel Defense Forces stated Wednesday that it had “struck and dismantled” the headquarters of the Iranian state broadcaster.
The State Department confirmed Wednesday that a charter flight carrying Americans seeking to leave the Middle East had departed. No details were released regarding the number of passengers or their final destination.
A joint statement released Thursday by the governments of the United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates condemned Iran’s missile and drone attacks in the region.
