Sister of soldier, 20, who was killed in Iran war speaks out with heartbreaking message

The family of a solider killed in a Iranian drone strike have paid tribute to him.

Sgt. Declan Coady from West Des Moines, Iowa was one of six personnel killed in a drone strike in Kuwait on March 1.

Coady, 20, was an army reservist, and had been in a command building at the time of the attack, according to reports from ABC News.

The drone strike came after the US and Israel launched a wave of strikes across Iran after negotiations about the country's nuclear program failed to reach an agreement.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting several middle eastern countries with US military bases, including in Kuwait.

Now, Coady's family have spoken out about the loss, including the moment that they found out he had been killed.

Trump ordered strikes on Iran (The White House via X Account/Anadolu via Getty Images)

In a statement, Coady's sister Kiera said: “On Sunday, March 1, after trying to check in, we heard nothing. Trying to be positive we all assumed he was just in a situation where he couldn’t message back, but we all knew something was wrong."

She added: “At 8 p.m. as we all were getting ready to go to bed, the doorbell rang, and the rest of that night will forever be one of the worst nights of our lives. While it’s all blurry, we all knew what the doorbell meant."

Coady was part of Operation Epic Fury, the name given by the Trump administration to its joint operation with Israel, which he has said aims to topple the Iranian government.

Kiera said: “The only thing I can think is that I wish I had called him one more time and told him I loved him.

“I wish that I had been able to be there or trade places with him or anything just so he could have known he was safe and that we loved him and he didn’t need to be scared … He was just a baby.”

Strikes started on February 28 (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Coady died on the way to the hospital, and was promoted from specialist posthumously.

Kiera said: “I wish I could think of words beyond that he was smart and kind and amazing, but even if I were to throw in other words it still wouldn’t quite capture his spirit.

“He was truly a rock in all of our lives and was just the most amazing brother and son my family could have asked for.”

Other killed in the strike have been named as Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, and Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42.

The other two service members killed have not yet been publicly identified.