Trump attends return of 4 US soldiers killed in Iran war at Dover Air Force Base

The US President was also accompanied by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine during the dignified transfer.

Trump was scheduled to meet privately with the families of the fallen service members before the transfer ceremony. A White House official said this was the third dignified transfer the president has attended since the war began.

Speaking to reporters before departing from Joint Base Andrews, Trump said the ceremony was intended to honour the sacrifice of the troops.

"We honour our heroes, and they are indeed great heroes. Actually, they said, and all of them said very strongly, we can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

Emphasising the solemn responsibility of receiving the remains of fallen service members, Trump added, "For me, it's one of the hardest things to do as a president, but has to be done."

Asked what he would tell the families during the private meetings, Trump said, "All I'm going to say is, we love you. We love your child, and that's what they are to them. They're their children. No games, no nothing."

According to CNN, the four service members are among the 18 US troops killed in connection with the conflict with Iran.

The fallen include Lt. Tyler Feehan of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, who was killed on July 18 in Jordan while serving with the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, who had graduated from high school last spring before enlisting in the Army, was killed in the July 17 strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, according to the US Department of Defense.

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed on July 19 during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq, the Defense Department said.

The fourth service member, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, was also killed during the same strike in Jordan. She served as a 25U Signal Operations Support Specialist with the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, stationed in Ansbach, Germany.

CNN reported that three of the four service members were killed in an Iranian strike on a military base in Jordan, while Swinton died during a controlled detonation operation involving a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq.

Asked about the circumstances surrounding the deaths, Trump declined to comment on the ongoing investigation but said Iran would face consequences.

"They're being decimated," Trump said, adding that there was an investigation into the incident in Jordan and that Iran would "pay a big price," CNN reported. (ANI)