Two U.S. troops killed, one missing in Iranian missile attack on Jordan
Two U.S. service members were killed and more wounded in an Iranian ballistic missile attack on an airbase in Jordan on Saturday, military officials said.
The big picture: This is the first time U.S. troops have been killed since the fighting resumed two weeks ago. The incident raises the number of U.S. service members killed in the war to 16.
Driving the news: On Saturday at least two Iranian ballistic missiles hit the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which hosts U.S. troops and fighter jets.
- Videos circulating on social media showed the impact of the two missiles and heavy smoke in the area right after.
- CENTCOM confirmed that two service members were killed and another was missing; four more were evacuated to hospitals for treatment.
The latest: On Saturday around 6 p.m. ET the U.S. military conducted another round of strikes against Iranian targets.
- "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," CENTCOM said in a statement.
Behind the scenes: Two U.S. officials said there have been four different Iranian missile attacks that hit U.S. forces on bases in Jordan over the the last week.
- Dozens of U.S. service members were wounded in the attacks and several helicopters were destroyed, one U.S. official said.
- The U.S. official expressed concern that the four incidents signal that Iran has managed to exploit vulnerabilities in the U.S. defenses in Jordan.
What they're saying: President Trump told NewsNation that the death of service members was "a very sad thing."
- Asked about Iranian claims that they would no longer follow the Memorandum of Understanding the two countries signed in June, Trump reportedly said: "I couldn't care less."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.
Iran War Live Updates: Another U.S. Service Member Is Killed as Two Sides Edge Toward Wider War
The Pentagon said on Sunday that a third member of the American military has died during a weekend of back-and-forth attacks, as the war with Iran escalated and the United States began sending more warplanes to the region.
The death of the soldier, who was killed during the disposal of a downed Iranian attack drone, came amid a cycle of escalating attacks that has all but shredded the cease-fire reached last month. There was no sign of diplomacy between the two sides, and American officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the United States was sending more military jets to the Middle East — a move that was in the works even before the recent deaths.
The fatalities raised the number of U.S. military personnel killed in the war to 17. The latest confirmed U.S. death happened on Saturday in northern Iraq, a day after two soldiers were killed in an Iranian missile barrage in Jordan. That strike, which also left another soldier missing, was first deadly attack on U.S. personnel since the cease-fire last month. A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said on Sunday that remains recovered at scene were believed to be those of the missing soldier.
The deaths came during a week of spiraling attacks by both sides that hit sensitive infrastructure, such as bridges and water facilities. Infrastructure that civilians rely on to survive are generally not considered legitimate military targets, and striking them could be considered a war crime.
The U.S. military said early on Sunday that it had attacked Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps forces responsible for striking U.S. forces in Jordan.
Iran retaliated with strikes on Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, Middle East countries where the United States maintains a significant military presence. In recent days, Iranian attacks have increasingly damaged critical infrastructure, including an oil facility and power and water treatment plants in Kuwait, according to the authorities.
Jordan’s air defenses shot down three Iranian missiles that targeted the country, the Jordanian military said, while a fourth landed in an unpopulated area.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the loss of the U.S. soldiers “only stiffens our resolve.” But the attacks seemed likely to deepen Mr. Trump’s dilemma over how to move ahead with the war against Iran he began alongside Israel more than four months ago.
Here’s what else to know:
Supreme leader’s message: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, argued the United States had violated the cease-fire deal made in June and called Mr. Trump’s signature on it “worthless and invalid,” in a message carried by state media on Saturday.
Aircraft deployment: U.S. officials who were not authorized to publicly discuss operational matters said on Sunday that Air Force F-16 fighter jets from Germany and stealthy F-35 jets from Britain were being sent to the Middle East. Additional aerial refueling aircraft were also on the way, according to the officials.
Jordan in focus: The Iranian attacks on Jordan which killed the two U.S. personnel were the fourth in five days in the country, underlining the Arab nation’s growing strategic importance as a host for U.S. forces in the region. Read more ›
Isolation in Iran: At least 50 people in Iran have been killed since the escalation began earlier this month, according to the Iranian health ministry. Residents say they live in fear of the attacks. Read more ›
National security correspondentThe service member killed during the disposal of an Iranian drone in Iraq on Saturday was not a bomb technician but another soldier who was hit by debris or fragments when the drone was detonated, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The incident is under investigation, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss operational matters publicly.
National security correspondentA U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the remains recovered at the scene of a deadly Iranian attack on a military base in Jordan on Friday were believed to be those of a U.S. soldier who has been missing since the strike, which also killed two soldiers. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the Pentagon was waiting a positive identification by an armed forces medical examiner at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
An American service member was killed in action on Saturday during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone in northern Iraq, the United States Central Command on Sunday. It was the 17th death of a member of the U.S. military since the war began on Feb. 28.
Another U.S. service member was wounded in the incident and was receiving treatment for a minor injury, the military said in a statement. The announcement came a day after the military said that two U.S. soliders had been killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan. That attack left a third U.S. service member missing, and U.S. Central Command said on Sunday that remains found at the scene of that strike were being examined.
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