U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran. The Islamic Republic, its firepower diminished, vowed to fight on. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war’s aim is a popular overthrow of Iran’s government, and “we are breaking their bones.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. President Donald Trump “is not making anything up” as he offers varying justifications for launching the war.

The U.S. stock market and oil prices were holding relatively steady Tuesday after Trump's signals about how long the war could last caused wild swings in financial and fuel markets. The Pentagon, meanwhile, offered its first tally of American wounded, saying about 140 U.S. troops have been injured, 8 severely.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any suggestion of seeking a ceasefire, while another top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, warned Trump himself, writing on X that “Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”

About 140 US troops have been injured in Iran war, 8 severely, and 108 returned to duty, Pentagon says

The Pentagon says about 140 U.S. service members have been wounded in conflict with Iran.

“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in an emailed statement. Eight are currently “severely injured,” Parnell added.

These numbers are the first insight into the broader toll of injuries sustained by U.S. troops after a barrage of retaliatory rocket and drone strikes from Iran that also killed seven soldiers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Residents of Tehran report some of the war’s heaviest airstrikes

They say extensive strikes led to electricity cuts in many western neighborhoods. One resident who lives in the western part of the capital said his neighborhood was shaking for half an hour because of strikes around midnight.

Another resident said he didn’t think he would survive the night.

Source: WPLG