United States President Donald Trump has claimed that the US military has sunk nine Iranian navy ships amid escalating hostilities between United States and Iran.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said US forces would continue to target Iran’s naval assets, warning that more vessels would be destroyed.

“We are going after the rest [of Iran’s navy ships] — they will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea,” he wrote.

He added sarcastically, “In a different attack, we largely destroyed their naval headquarters. Other than that, their navy is doing very well!”

Meanwhile, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) earlier on Sunday confirmed that three American soldiers were killed and five others seriously wounded as fighting with Iran intensified. The deaths represent the first officially acknowledged US military fatalities since the conflict escalated.

CENTCOM did not disclose further details on the circumstances surrounding the casualties, citing ongoing operations.