Trump warns more U.S. troops will "likely" die in Iran attacks

President Trump presented on Sunday his case for going to war with Iran and toppling the current regime — and warned more U.S. soldiers will likely die before the operation ends.

Why it matters: Trump is publicly bracing the country for a sustained, costly military campaign, a sign America has entered an open-ended war with a rising human cost.

Trump touted the elimination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and framed the war as the only way to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed terrorist state.

Driving the news: Trump spoke hours after the U.S. military announced three U.S. service members were killed and five wounded in the fighting.