Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke about the deaths of two Iowa U.S. Army Reserve soldiers in an Iranian strike in Kuwait March 5, 2026.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday she supports the U.S. military action in Iran, as she mourned the loss of two Iowa soldiers in an Iranian strike on a Kuwait facility on March 1.

Two of the six U.S. military members killed in the Iran attack on a tactical operations center in Kuwait’s Port of Shuaiba were from Iowa. The U.S. Defense Department has identified Major Jeffrey O’Brien, a 45-year-old from Waukee, and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, a 20-year-old from West Des Moines, as Army Reserve members who died in the attack. The two soldiers from Iowa, alongside the other four who died in the strike, were all assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, based in Des Moines.

During a news conference Thursday, Reynolds said she has spoken with the O’Brien’s wife and Coady’s father in the aftermath of the attack, offering not just condolences, prayers and support, “but to just reassure them how proud we are of their loved ones that sacrifice their life on behalf of our country.”

“As you can imagine, they’re heartbroken,” Reynolds said. “As Iowans, we grieve with them and with families. It is important at this time that we stand united as we lift these two families up in prayer, and, of course, as we continue to pray for the strength and safety of our military at home and abroad.”

The two deaths in the Kuwait attack come just months after the deaths of two Iowa National Guard members, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard of Marshalltown and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar of Des Moines, who were killed in Palmyra, Syria, during a Dec. 13, 2025 attack by a lone gunman associated with ISIS.

“Losing four soldiers from Iowa in the course of three months is a sobering reminder that our freedom is not free,” Reynolds said. “It demands sacrifice and the kind of service that these heroes and their families have made on behalf of all of us, and it’s why our support for the men and women who wear our nation’s uniform is so important.”

As members of the military and their loved ones prepare for potential further conflict and involvement as the U.S. remains engaged in the Iran conflict, the governor said it was important to support those deployed and their families.

She also said she supports President Donald Trump and his administration’s’ involvement in the joint war with Israel against Iran.

“I believe in the mission right now,” Reynolds said. “I think it was the right thing to do. Just look at what Iran has done over the last several years. Hopefully we’re in and out. I believe that’s the goal of this administration.”

Democratic legislative leaders also offered their support and condolences to the soldiers and families who died in the Kuwait attack. But leaders also questioned the U.S. involvement in the region.

House Minority Leader Brian Meyer said the initial explanation of why U.S. action against Iran was needed centered the 2025 strikes of Iranian nuclear facilities and destruction of nuclear weapon capabilities. But Meyer said the more recent actions show “this is nothing more than another forever war.”

“We are very supportive of those soldiers that are in harm’s way,” Meyer said. “But again, it goes to forever wars. What’s the end game? What do we do? And you know, nobody can explain it. There’s been different rationales, different explanations. … It’s very unfortunate, and obviously we are very supportive of Iowa’s soldiers and the families that are in harm’s way.”

The White House has stated Iran has rejected negotiations with the U.S. on its nuclear program, and stated that the current objective of the war is to destroy weapons capacity, missile production and a “pathway to nuclear weapons” in the country.

Reynolds reiterated these arguments, saying that from her understanding, the Iranian government was continuing to work on developing a nuclear bomb and enhancing ballistic missiles, which would pose not only a threat to Europe and the surrounding Middle East, “but to America.”

Most Senate Republicans, including Iowa U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, voted against a War Powers Resolution Wednesday aimed at compelling Trump to seek congressional approval for moving forward with the war in Iran. Democrats have argued Trump’s actions violate Article I of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the power to declare war, while Republicans saying the strikes in Iran fall within the presidential war powers granted in Article II of the Constitution.

The resolution failed 47-52, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, being the only Republican to vote in favor, and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, being the only Democrat to vote against the measure