President Donald Trump attended a dignified transfer on Saturday, paying respects to the six U.S. soldiers killed in the war with Iran.
Trump was joined by first lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several other administration officials.
The service members were killed on March 1 in a drone strike at a U.S. military installation in Kuwait.
Those killed were Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; and Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien, an Army Reserve soldier from Waukee, Iowa.
The soldiers were members of the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa. The unit provides logistics and supply support for other military units.
RELATED STORY | Trump warns Iran of ‘complete destruction’ as war reaches one-week mark
The war with Iran is now in its second week, with no sign of ending anytime soon. Earlier in the day, Trump said Iran will be hit “very hard,” noting the country is under “serious consideration for complete destruction for certain death.”
"We knocked out their air force, we knocked out their communications and all telecommunications is gone," Trump said in a speech at a summit in Miami Saturday morning. "I don’t know how they communicate but I guess they will figure something out. It’s not working out too well and they’re bad people."
Iran's foreign minister responded to Trump Saturday with a defiant statement of his own.
"If Mr. Trump seeks escalation, it is precisely what our Powerful Armed Forces have long been prepared for, and what he will get," Abbas Araghchi said.
RELATED STORY | How they got him: Khamenei confirmed dead after CIA tracked Iran's Supreme Leader for months
