WASHINGTON: The U.S. military launched airstrikes targeting Iranian forces over the weekend after two American service members were killed and a third was reported missing in action following an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan, marking the first U.S. combat deaths from Iranian fire since March.
U.S. Central Command said it completed an eighth straight night of strikes against Iranian targets Sunday, hitting coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.
“CENTCOM forces successfully hit Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities,” the command said in a post on X.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 19, 2026
The airstrikes, ordered by President Donald Trump and beginning Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, were designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz” and to “swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night,” according to CENTCOM.
The deaths bring to 16 the number of U.S. service members killed since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. More than 400 American personnel have been wounded in the conflict, according to CENTCOM.
The Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq, Jordan, on July 17 was the fourth strike against U.S. forces in Jordan in five days, according to U.S. officials. Earlier attacks wounded dozens of service members and damaged equipment at other bases in the country, where the Pentagon had relocated troops from Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates seeking greater security.
Trump called the deaths “very sad” in a telephone interview with a NewsNation reporter.
“We hate to see it happen. It’s in service to our country,” he said, reiterating his pledge that the U.S. is “never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded to the deaths on X: “Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Saturday the country has suspended its commitments to the memorandum of understanding signed last month with the U.S.
“The United States has violated and suspended all of its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,” he said. “We have also suspended our commitments; we are not implementing them and are busy defending our country.”
When asked about Iran’s suspension, Trump told a NewsNation reporter, “I couldn’t care less.”
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the country has “unforgettable lessons in store” for the U.S., according to state media.
“Now that the American enemy seeks to ignite war and endure heavier costs, it should know that the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front have unforgettable lessons in store for it,” the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said in a message from Khamenei on X.
Khamenei said repeated U.S. attacks demonstrated that Trump’s signature on the memorandum was “utterly worthless and devoid of credibility.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kuwait said Sunday its air defenses were facing missile and drone attacks by Iran. The Kuwaiti government said an oil facility and a power and water treatment plant had been attacked.
Despite the renewed attacks, Trump insisted Thursday in a primetime address that the war is going well, saying, “We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly.”
The interim agreement, signed by the U.S. and Iran last month, was intended to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict. Control over the strait, through which a fifth of global oil and natural gas passes in peacetime, has fueled the hostilities. Trump has threatened to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants in the coming week if the country refused to return to negotiations.
Oil prices were sharply higher Friday amid the unrest in the Middle East.
