2 US Navy SEALs confirmed dead after extensive search in Gulf of Oman

By Faruk Zorlu

The US military on Sunday confirmed the deaths of two Navy SEALs who had been missing in the Gulf of Oman.

"After a 10-day exhaustive search, our two missing U.S. Navy SEALs have not been located and their status has been changed to deceased," the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

The statement did not provide further details about the circumstances of their disappearance or deaths.

"The search and rescue operation for the two Navy SEALs reported missing during the boarding of an illicit dhow carrying Iranian advanced conventional weapons Jan. 11 concluded and we are now conducting recovery operations," it added.

A comprehensive search operation spanning over 21,000 square miles (54,389 square kilometers) involved airborne and naval platforms from the US, Japan and Spain. Additional search assistance was provided by various entities, it said.

"We mourn the loss of our two brave Navy SEALs, and our hearts are with their families. The entire Department is united in sorrow today. We are grateful to all who worked tirelessly to try to find and rescue them," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on X.