The increase in the American death toll is unlikely to boost Donald Trump’s popularity, as a recent Ipsos poll for Reuters shows that 43% of Americans disapprove of the American strikes. Six American soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war with Iran on Saturday, the army announced on Monday.
“American forces have recently recovered the remains of two soldiers previously missing in an installation hit during Iran’s initial attacks in the region,” said the American military Command for the Middle East (Centcom) in a message published on X. A previous toll had reported four deaths since the start of the war.
Several American fighter jets were previously shot down in Kuwait, but the crews survived, according to the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry. They were shot down “by mistake by the Kuwaiti air defense,” the Pentagon clarified.
Towards a long war?
On Monday, Donald Trump began preparing Americans for a war in Iran that could last a month or more, possibly involving ground troops, trying to correct the impression of uncertainty left since the first strikes on Saturday.
“We are already well ahead of our forecasts. But no matter the timeline, it’s all right, whatever it costs, we will always get there,” affirmed the Republican leader, adding that “we have the necessary capabilities to go well beyond four or five weeks,” the timeline he had mentioned the day before.
On Monday, for the first time, he outlined four objectives: destroy Iranian ballistic missile capabilities and navy; ensure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons; and prevent Tehran from supporting armed groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah or Palestinian Hamas in the region.
