US launches new airstrikes on Iran after 2 troops killed in Jordan

The US military launched new airstrikes against Iran on Saturday evening at President Trump's direction, hours after confirming that two American service members were killed and a third remains missing following Iranian missile and drone attacks on a base in Jordan the previous day.

"The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night," US Central Command said in a statement posted on social media.newsfeed.wtjx+2

The deaths on July 17 mark the first American military fatalities from direct Iranian fire since March and bring the total number of US service members killed in the nearly five-month-old conflict to 16. Four other troops were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan but have since been released, CENTCOM said.nbcnews+2

A Week of Escalating Strikes

Saturday's operation extends what has been a punishing stretch of American military action against Iran. CENTCOM had already completed seven consecutive nights of strikes before launching the latest retaliatory wave. Those operations targeted surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities along Iran's coastline.jpost+2

The sustained campaign began after a ceasefire between the two nations collapsed in early July, when President Trump declared the agreement "over" following Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has responded to the US strikes by targeting American military installations hosted by Gulf allies including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.deseret+2

Tehran Issues Threats

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — who assumed power after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a US-Israeli strike earlier in the conflict — issued a statement on Saturday branding the United States "the Great Satan" and warning of "unforgettable lessons" if attacks continue.foxnews+2

"The Great Satan's repeated violations of the memorandum of understanding signed between the presidents of Iran and the United States once again proved to everyone how worthless and unreliable the signature of the US president is," the statement said.i24news

Separately, Major General Mohsen Rezaee, a senior Iranian military adviser, warned that Tehran would launch "full-scale offensive operations" if US strikes continued in the coming days, according to state-controlled news agency IRIB. Iran has also announced it is suspending its commitments under the peace deal with Washington.youtube+1

US airstrikes early Saturday killed three people and wounded eight others in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, according to Reuters, while Iranian media reported strikes hit power facilities near the Strait of Hormuz.reuters+1