U.S. Launches Strikes After Iranian Attack Kills 2 American Soldiers
Two U.S. soldiers were killed and a third service member was missing after an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan on Friday, the U.S. military said. It was the first death of an American service member from hostile fire since a truce in early April.
The Jordanian base came under fire from Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, according to a statement on Saturday from U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the region. Sixteen U.S. service members have died in the war.
The latest deaths prompted retaliation from American forces, who launched a round of attacks in Iran at about 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday. The early-morning strikes were meant to keep Iran from threatening commercial ships 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 a Central Command statement posted to social media.
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The United States and Iran have expanded the scope and intensity of their attacks, striking critical infrastructure sites that included a power station and water facilities, with no sign of an off-ramp to end the fighting.
Iranian state media reported on Saturday that bridges and roads in southern Iran were damaged and said that a water desalination plant in Jask was hit. It cited a local official as saying that about 10,000 people were facing water shortages. The U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those claims.
Iran has responded with its own attacks on American allies in the Persian Gulf, with its military saying it is targeting U.S. bases in the region.
On Saturday, Iranian missiles and drones pummeled the Gulf state of Kuwait, where the government said another power and water treatment plant had been attacked — the second in two days — sparking fires. An oil facility was also struck, leading to injuries and “severe material losses,” according to Kuwait’s state-run petroleum corporation.
Air-raid sirens also continued to ring out in Bahrain on Saturday morning, warning of new Iranian strikes. And the Jordanian military said it had intercepted 10 Iranian ballistic missiles overnight.
The bombardment has failed to break the deadlock over the strait, the vital waterway for global oil and gas shipments that Iran has blockaded. The United States has also reinstated its own blockade on Iranian ports. With no apparent negotiations taking place, the two sides appear to be sliding toward a wider war.
Last month, the United States and Iran reached a cease-fire meant to reopen the strait and allow for broader negotiations. Iran, citing a clause in the agreement, has continued to assert control over the waterway, attacking ships trying to transit through routes outside its territory.
President Trump has frequently threatened to bombard Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, in an effort to force Iran’s leaders to make a deal and end the war. Analysts say there is little guarantee that stepping up attacks would force Iran to change course, and such attacks on critical infrastructure could constitute war crimes under international law.
