U.S. Deaths in Jordan Trigger Wider War With Iran
Two service members killed and one still missing after Iranian strikes, as Washington and Tehran trade attacks across the region
Two U.S. service members were killed and a third remains missing after Iran launched ballistic missile and drone attacks on American forces in Jordan, U.S. Central Command said Saturday, plunging the region deeper into open conflict.
The strikes mark a sharp escalation just days after a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, reigniting fears of a broader war and drawing the Trump administration into a fresh round of retaliation across Iran.
CENTCOM said the casualties came as American and partner forces defended against the July 17 attacks. Four additional troops were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and have since been discharged, while others with minor injuries have returned to duty, the command said. PBS NewsHour reported that 16 U.S. service members have now been killed and more than 430 wounded since the broader conflict began.
Jordan said it intercepted 10 Iranian missiles fired into its airspace overnight, the BBC reported, while Al Jazeera reported Iran also struck Kuwait and Bahrain.
The United States responded by hitting Iranian coastal surveillance and air-defense facilities, CENTCOM told CNBC. Al Jazeera reported that the strikes, part of a seventh consecutive night of U.S. attacks, damaged bridges and a water desalination plant inside Iran.
President Trump called the deaths of the American troops "a very sad thing." "We hate to see it happen," he said. "They were in service of our country ... they'll fight to the death. But never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon." Trump was scheduled to attend the World Cup final Sunday even as the fighting continued, according to The Hill.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned of "unforgettable lessons" if U.S. attacks continue, dismissing Trump's signature on a ceasefire memorandum as "utterly worthless and devoid of credibility" and accusing Washington of repeatedly breaching the truce, according to Al Jazeera and The Hill.
Amid the fighting, ordinary Iranians have faced worsening power blackouts, with the country's electrical grid battered by military strikes, chronic underinvestment and a summer heat wave, leaving residents sweltering in the dark, Al Jazeera reported.
— Compiled from reporting by CENTCOM, Al Jazeera, BBC, CNBC, PBS NewsHour and The Hill.