Two US troops killed and one missing after Iranian attack in Jordan

Two US troops killed and one missing after Iranian attack in Jordan

Two U.S. Service members were killed and another went missing Friday following Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks on a base in Jordan. The deaths mark the first American troop casualties resulting from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, according to the U.S. Military.

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) stated that the fallen service members were killed while defending against the strikes alongside partner forces. Four other service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and later discharged, while other personnel evaluated for minor injuries have returned to duty. Centcom has withheld the identities of the deceased until 24 hours after next of kin are notified.

While the U.S. Military did not disclose the specific location of the attack, Iranian media reports indicate that forces targeted the Al-Azraq Base in Jordan. Jordan's military reported intercepting 10 Iranian missiles fired into its airspace overnight and reported no damage.

The casualties bring the total number of U.S. Service members killed in the conflict to 16. This follows a recent increase in the toll after an American Navy pilot, Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, the commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5, died July 1 when an MH-60S Sea Hawk crashed in the Arabian Sea. More than 400 U.S. Troops have been wounded since the war began on Feb. 28.

Escalation in the Strait of Hormuz

The attacks occur as the U.S. Carries out its seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran. Centcom said these operations have targeted underground weapons storage, maritime capabilities, military logistics infrastructure, and surveillance sites. Recent strikes also hit targets further north after American forces fired upon a ship accused of attempting to break a U.S. Naval blockade on the Islamic Republic.

The conflict is currently centered on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the waterway to shipping traffic, asserting that the strait must be under its sole control and that vessels should pay fees to Tehran. In response, President Donald Trump has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to stop crude oil shipments and has threatened to target bridges and power stations.

Iranian state media reports that U.S. Strikes have killed at least 50 people and injured more than 500 over the last three weeks, including eight people killed on a bridge Friday. U.S. Airstrikes also destroyed the Bonji desalination plant in Hormozgan province, cutting water to approximately 10,000 people, and damaged a plant on Qeshm Island. Additionally, U.S. Strikes damaged two tunnels and three bridges, disrupting a main highway toward the port city of Bandar Abbas.

Regional Fallout and Diplomatic Collapse

The violence has extended across the Gulf region. Kuwait reported that its air defense systems downed Iranian missiles. Strikes in Kuwait hit an oil facility and a water desalination plant, causing a fire and forcing power generation units offline. This was the second attack on a desalination plant in two days in a nation that relies on the process for 90% of its drinking water. Iraq reported shooting down attack drones over Irbil, while air sirens sounded in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, the secretary general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, has accused Iran of war crimes for targeting civilian facilities and infrastructure.

The current escalation follows the collapse of a preliminary deal to end the war signed in June, which unraveled within a month. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, told state TV that the U.S. Violated its commitments and that Iran is no longer implementing the deal. President Trump previously declared the temporary ceasefire agreement over.

In a written statement released Saturday, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei claimed the repeated breaches of the agreement prove that the signature of the U.S. President is utterly worthless and devoid of credibility. Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a U.S. And Israeli strike on Feb. 28, warned of unforgettable lessons to be delivered by Iran and its Axis of Resistance proxies if attacks continue.