Trump and first lady attend dignified transfer for 6 US troops killed in Kuwait
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump participated in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Kent County, Delaware, on Saturday for six U.S. service members killed in a March 1 Iranian drone attack in Kuwait.
The solemn ritual returns the remains of troops killed in action and is considered one of the most somber duties of a commander-in-chief.
The fallen troops were killed in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, while supporting Operation Epic Fury.
Transfer cases were used to move the soldiers to Dover Air Force Base, where they will be identified and prepared for their journey home.
After identification, the fallen, who were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command from Des Moines, Iowa, are placed in a casket and transported to their final resting places.
All six were U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, and transports equipment and supplies.
The War Department identified the fallen service members as Maj. Jeffery O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California, is also believed to be deceased.
Each of the soldiers’ families were present at the transfer.
Trump, speaking at a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami before traveling to Delaware, called the fallen service members heroes “coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home.”
He described the attack as “a very sad situation” and pledged to keep American war deaths “to a minimum.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who also attended the ritual, wrote in a social media post on Friday of “an unbreakable spirit to honor their memory and the resolve they embodied.”
GOFUNDME FOR US SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAN WAR RAISES MORE THAN $94K
Officials said the soldiers were supporting operations in the region when the unmanned aircraft struck their position.
Khork enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 as a multiple launch rocket system/fire direction specialist, then commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014. He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in 2021, and Poland in 2024. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 10 Year Device and “M” Device.
Amor joined the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist and transferred to the Army Reserve the following year. She deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019 and earned multiple commendations, including the Army Commendation Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device.
FALLEN US SOLDIERS IN OPERATION EPIC FURY REMEMBERED AS PATRIOTIC, DEDICATED
Tietjens entered the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and completed two deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star.
Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an information technology specialist and was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
O’Brien served nearly 15 years in the Army Reserve. Commissioned in 2012 as a Signal Corps officer, he was promoted to major in 2024 and previously deployed to Kuwait in 2019. In civilian life, he worked in cybersecurity and defensive cyber operations.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Marzan, of Sacramento, California, was an Army reservist assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command. Family and state officials described him as a devoted husband and father.
Fetterman condemns Democrats for refusing to put ‘country over party’ on Iran strikes
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., accused fellow Democrats of putting party over country in their opposition to President Donald Trump’s strikes against the Iranian regime during an interview Saturday on Fox News.
He broke with members of his own party Wednesday as he defended the operation as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“I don’t know why we can’t just be honest,” Fetterman told “Saturday in America.”
“The last two professional candidates for the Democratic Party all agreed that we can never allow Iran to acquire nuclear bombs, and that’s made that possible now. I think we can say, ‘Hey, that’s a great thing. That makes the world more safe, more secure and holds Iran accountable.'”
Fetterman’s criticism comes after 53 House Democrats voted against a resolution declaring Iran a state sponsor of terror. He argued his colleagues’ stance reflects a concerning shift within the party.
“That’s almost 25% of Democrats in the House that can’t just call Iran the world’s biggest terrorism underwriter,” Fetterman said.
MILLER SAYS TRUMP ‘UNLEASHED’ MILITARY FROM ‘WOKE PENTAGON’ CONSTRAINTS AFTER YEARS OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
Fetterman was the lone Senate Democrat to vote against a resolution seeking to limit Trump’s war powers Wednesday, arguing that longstanding bipartisan beliefs have always opposed Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“That’s where our party’s been heading now. … I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t just identify that’s what Iran is,” he added.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Virtually every Democrat that I’m aware of says we can never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb, and they were a significant risk to America,” Fetterman said.
“I know why they [Democrats] don’t say that now because I’m aware that it is very damaging as a Democrat to just happen to agree with the president on anything. But, for me, that’s easy — country over party.”
Farage slams British prime minister for ‘extraordinary’ lack of support for Trump’s Iran strikes
PALM BEACH, Fla. — British opposition leader Nigel Farage is taking aim at his country’s prime minister for not supporting the U.S. in its military strikes against Iran.
“I think not to support America when it asks for support is a pretty extraordinary thing to have done.,” Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, said in an exclusive interview Saturday with Fox News Digital.
President Donald Trump has blasted Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially blocking the U.S. from using British military bases, specifically Diego Garcia, a strategic base located on an Indian Ocean island, for strikes against Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Starmer later permitted the use of the bases for “defensive strikes” after Trump’s complaints.
Starmer hasn’t spoken to Trump since they connected on a call last weekend after the U.S. and Israel launched their strikes on Iran. The British prime minister has made clear his country would not be joining the U.S. in attacking Iran, emphasizing he didn’t believe in “regime change from the skies.”
Trump, taking a jab at Starmer, said earlier this week, “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with.”
Farage criticized Starmer for not changing his stance, “even now, despite the fact that we’ve got an RAF base in Cyprus that’s been under attack, we’ve got allies of ours in the Gulf that are under attack.”
“I think there’s been less than wholehearted support has come for the Americans in this endeavor. And I think the British prime minister on the world stage, he’s upset the Americans,” Farage said. “He’s upset the Cypriots. He’s upset the Gulf states. And he’s pretty friendless at the moment.”
THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA: REPUBLICAN SENATORS WEIGH IN ON IRAN ATTACK
Farage, who seven years ago founded the populist Brexit Party, which later transformed into the Reform UK party, was interviewed ahead of an appearance at an annual economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent political group that pushes for fiscal responsibility.
Starmer has been feeling Trump’s wrath not only for their differences over the attack on Iran, but also over the British deal to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, the Indian Ocean archipelago where Diego Garcia is located, to Mauritius. Starmer has argued his lease-back deal is the only way to secure the British-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia.
Farage, who has been vocal in his opposition to the deal, told Fox News Digital that “outside of America itself,” Diego Garcia “is the most important base you’ve got in the whole world. Now it’s there as part of British sovereignty. We have a treaty between us that goes back to 1966 and Keir Starmer is on the verge of giving away the sovereignty of the Chagos islands and Diego Garcia to Mauritius.”
“If Trump initially had problems with the Brits over using the base, just think what it will be like with the heavily Chinese-influenced Mauritians. They already have said they believe that America should not have struck Iran, that it was against international law, then are calling for a ceasefire,” Farage said.
NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES, SAYS KEY ALLIES ‘ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL’
Farage, who said his opposition to the deal was a key factor in his weekend trip to the U.S., said, “I would just urge the president, this administration, stay firm. Tell the British government you will not accept giving away of sovereignty to Mauritius, and let’s ensure a future for Diego Garcia. I think it’s really important.”
Farage, who’s hoping to become Britain’s next prime minister, argued that Starmer’s relationship with Trump is beyond repair.
“I think the personal relationship between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump has gone. I mean, Trump can be forgiving, but, you know, that would take a long time. So, I think that breakdown is there,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
As for the longstanding bonds between the two countries, known as the “special relationship,” Farage was more optimistic.
“The special relationship went through bad times in the past. We had a massive fallout 70 years ago over Suez, but we got back together again. I’m convinced it can, and it will, be mended,” he predicted.
GOP senators say Trump’s strikes ‘significantly degraded’ Iran but emphasize attacks not ‘forever wars’
PALM BEACH, Fla. — One week into the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, two Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee say the military operation has “degraded” Tehran’s ability to strike back.
But in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital, senators Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Budd of North Carolina emphasized the fighting will not lead to U.S. involvement in “forever wars” in the volatile Middle East.
“Our military is doing a great job,” Scott said. Pointing to Iran, he added, “They want to destroy America. We’ve got to stop them.”
Budd highlighted that “we have significantly degraded Iran’s ability to shoot back at us. … Their capacities are degraded. We’ve had great success.”
Budd and Scott spoke while attending an economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent conservative group that pushes for fiscal responsibility.
President Donald Trump, who called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” said Saturday that Tehran will be “hit very hard” and warned the U.S. is considering “areas and groups” not previously considered as targets.
Over the past week, Operation Epic Fury has widened in scope as Iran has retaliated against a growing number of nations in the region. This week, the Republican-controlled House and Senate, in separate votes nearly entirely along party lines, rejected moves by Democrats to restrict the president’s ability to steer the fighting.
WHAT COULD COME NEXT IN THE ATTACKS ON IRAN
The president said Thursday in an interview with Axios he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial strikes against Iran a week ago.
And there are concerns among many on the right that the strikes against Iran could lead to prolonged American military involvement in the region, which Trump has repeatedly campaigned against during his three runs for the presidency.
“Trump doesn’t want to be in forever wars. Every time I’ve talked to him, he doesn’t want that,” Scott said. “But I think what we do want to make sure we don’t have another Ayatollah that wants to … chant ‘Death to America’ and ‘death to our allies’ and try to destroy us.”
Budd added that “we’re not up for forever wars. We want to get in, get this thing done, get out and have peace for our country and the rest of the region.”
The latest Fox News national poll indicated that American voters are divided on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran even as a majority sees the country as a security risk.
Sixty-one percent of those questioned viewed Iran as a danger to the U.S., according to the survey conducted Feb. 28-March 2. But that concern did not translate into majority support for the current U.S. military action, as 50% approved and 50% disapproved.
Support for the attacks was lower in national polling from other news organizations.
But the Fox News poll and the other surveys indicated widespread support among Republicans.
“Trump’s doing the right thing. He’s saving American lives by making sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile. So, he’s doing the right thing,” Scott emphasized.
Budd added, “I’m very excited [about] what President Trump’s done. … The goal is American prosperity and American safety, and that’s what President Trump wants.”
Oil prices have shot up since the start of the fighting, instantly resulting in higher costs for gasoline across America. That’s a major concern for Republicans as they aim to keep control of the House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections.
“Hopefully it’s all going to be short term. Hopefully … the demolition of the Iranian military will happen quickly and actually will get lower oil prices,” Scott said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Budd acknowledged “we are going to have some short-term disruptions.”
But the senator was optimistic that “very soon we’ll have gas prices much cheaper than ever before. We were already on that pathway. President Trump is all about stability. He’s all about the price of oil.”
American father hears missiles overhead while stranded in Dubai with kids and pregnant wife
Christian Walker of Prairieville, Louisiana, has been in Dubai for two weeks while on a family vacation with his two young children and pregnant wife.
Walker told Fox News Digital he has heard missiles and drones getting shot down at night, and the activity has been shaking his hotel as he’s been trying to find a flight for his family to evacuate.
The officials “urge you to get out, but there’s no way out. And then you call the number, and they say that they’re not evacuating U.S. citizens at the time … [and] to contact your airline,” said Walker.
He said nearly every morning, he’s called and spent “about two hours on the phone with [the] airline” trying to rebook his flight, and then “flights [get] canceled later that day.”
Walker said he’s gone through the “proper channels.” He has registered through the embassy and has called the State Department, he said.
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital earlier that the department has facilitated the safe return of over 20,000 American citizens from the Middle East since Feb. 28.
There were approximately 8,500 arrivals Wednesday, with thousands more that have transitioned to safe havens in Europe and Asia or who remain in active transit, according to the spokesperson.
Walker said many Americans have been evacuating through Oman, which is about a five-hour drive from Dubai.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“There are a lot of unknown variables, and I’m not very confident with taking a 1- and 3-year-old [child] across the border [without a guaranteed flight] or how that could all go with getting there to the border with the hotel,” said Walker.
“We find it’s better to be safer [and] stay put than just be at the mercy of the airline opening and getting the flight out,” he said a few days ago.
The U.S. has urged Americans to leave 14 countries in the Middle East as Iran’s counterattacks intensify.
An Iranian drone strike landed near the U.S. Consulate in Dubai but was not a direct hit on the site itself Tuesday. Walker’s hotel is about a mile away.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
Walker said his hotel was connected to a mall, so he didn’t need to go outside the hotel.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“It’s connected to a mall, and [there’s] a store similar to a Walmart. So, we were able to get baby diapers and wipes and kind of stroller around the mall,” he said.
Ahead of this weekend, Walker said he had a flight booked for Saturday with Emirates but indicated he would “believe it when [he] sees it.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Americans in the Middle East in need of assistance have been advised by officials to call the U.S. Department of State.
Mike Pence praises Trump for ‘decisive leadership’ on Iran after Biden ‘squandered’ US deterrence
Former Vice President Mike Pence praised President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran, branding the move a long-overdue show of force that “restored deterrence” and reversed what he characterized as years of failed policy.
“Because of the decisive leadership of President Trump as commander in chief, we’re now taking the fight directly to the heart of global terrorism,” Pence told “Saturday in America.”
“I was not surprised by it. I was at his side when he made the decision to strike directly at Iran, taking out Qasem Soleimani in early 2020.
“I want to give the president all the credit in the world for making that decision, and I also have to tell you, I just couldn’t be more proud of the men and women of our armed forces that did theplanning, but, most importantly, the people that are executing Operation Epic Fury.”
Pence argued the strike marked a departure from what he described as years of failed diplomacy and hesitation under the Biden administration, which he said not only allowed Iran to rebuild its military capabilities and expand its influence across the region, but also emboldened key adversaries like Russia.
EXPERT WARNS RADICAL ISLAMIST NETWORKS COULD SHIFT WEST AFTER IRAN REGIME SHAKEUP
“When we left office … Iran was more isolated economically, diplomatically and militarily than ever before,” Pence said, referring to the end of Trump’s first term.
“Unfortunately, that was all squandered by the Biden administration that immediately went back to the table begging to restart the Iran nuclear deal.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Right now, what we’re seeing is not only an effort by the United States military, our ally Israel and other allies in the region to degrade the military and security capabilities of Iran so it doesn’t threaten our country or even its own people so that they might reclaim their freedom.
“But, also, I think what the president is doing here with the military … is restoring the deterrence that was squandered during the Biden administration and demonstrating that America remains the arsenal of democracy and the leader of the free world.”
Iran’s flag removed from Paralympics opening ceremony after sole athlete withdraws over travel safety concerns
Two-time Paralympian Aboulfazl Khatibi Mianaei of Iran has withdrawn from the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, citing an inability to travel amid the ongoing U.S. and Israeli joint military campaign against Iran.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced Mianaei’s withdrawal hours before the opening ceremony Friday, adding that because of the withdrawal, Iran’s flag would be removed from the Athletes Parade.
“It is really disappointing for world sport and especially for Aboulfazl that he is unable to travel safely to compete at his third Paralympic Winter Games at Milano Cortina 2026,” IPC President Andrew Parsons said in a statement.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“Since the conflict began on (Feb. 28), the IPC and Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee have been working tirelessly behind-the-scenes with the NPC and national ski federation to find alternative routes for the safe passage of the Iran delegation to the Games. However, with the conflict ongoing across the Middle East, the risk to human life is too high.
“To not compete at a Paralympic Winter Games because of factors outside of his control after years of training and dedication is heartbreaking for the athlete, and our sympathies are with Aboulfazl at this difficult time.”
Iranian athletes have come into the spotlight since the U.S. and Israel launched joint military strikes against the country, prompting Iran to launch counterstrikes at other Middle Eastern nations and U.S. facilities abroad.
The Iranian women’s soccer team made headlines after making what many believed to be a silent protest against the regime when players remained quiet during the playing of their national anthem before the squad’s opening match at the Women’s Asian Cup last week.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Days later, before their match against Australia, the women’s team both sang and saluted their anthem. Iranian fans in the stands voiced their support for President Donald Trump and a free Iran, waving pro-Islamic Revolution flags while others held up signs with letters spelling Trump’s name.
Iran warns European countries will be ‘legitimate targets’ if they join conflict
An Iranian official warned that any European countries that enter the conflict against Iran will become “legitimate targets” for Tehran’s retaliation.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi made the remark to France24 as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday apologized to neighboring countries that have been attacked by the regime.
“We have already informed the Europeans and everybody else that they should be careful not to be involved in this war of aggression against Iran,” Takht-Ravanchi told the network. “If they help, I’m not trying to name any country, but if any country joins in the aggression against Iran, joins America and Israel in the aggression against Iran, definitely they will be also the legitimate targets for Iranian retaliation.”
“This war has imposed on us, and we will continue to defend ourselves to the best of our abilities,” he added. “We have an obligation to defend our people and that is what exactly we are doing.”
Takht-Ravanchi also claimed Iran was “negotiating in good faith” in talks with the U.S. about its nuclear program, before America launched Operation Epic Fury and Israel began Operation Roaring Lion on Feb. 28.
“We are sincere. We are sincere in our endeavor to arrive at a peaceful conclusion of this issue,” he told France24.
AFTER THE STRIKES, HOW WOULD THE US SECURE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM?
Pezeshkian said Saturday that any future attacks coming out of Iran would only be in response to attacks against the country.
“I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked by those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Pezeshkian made the apology during a prerecorded televised speech on Saturday after Iran launched repeated strikes on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.
Despite the vow, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that the country’s air defense systems intercepted 16 ballistic missiles, 15 of which were destroyed while one fell into the sea.