Hours after two US military personnel were killed and one was reportedly missing in Jordan following Iranian strikes, US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) called the deaths a "very sad thing."
He made these remarks to NewsNation and said the two troops died "in service of our country" and reiterated that the war's key objective is "never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
Trump's remarks came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the deaths of the service members, in an incident that marked the first American military facilities to be hit by Iranian fire since March.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also acknowledged the news of the military members' deaths. In a post on X, he wrote, "Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”
In a social media post, the US CENTCOM said, "On July 17, two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing in action."
CENTCOM is withholding the identities of the service members who have been killed until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified.
Additionally, four American service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan but were discharged later, while another sustained minor injuries and has returned to duty.
CNN reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in a statement on Saturday, claimed responsibility for strikes on a base used by US forces at Al-Azraq base in Jordan. The Revolutionary Guards claimed to “completely destroy” several aircraft in the attack, which it said was conducted with both missiles and drones.
Following the strikes on US forces in Jordan, the US military on Saturday evening (local time) announced that it launched renewed strikes against Iran to “swiftly punish” it for killing American service members. CENTCOM said that the airstrikes against Iran began at 6 pm ET on the direction of the US President and aimed at weakening Tehran's "ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," in what is considered to be the latest move by Washington to pressure the Islamic Republic to give up its control of the critical trade route, NBC News reported.
With the latest killing of two service members, the total number of deaths has gone up to 16, CNN reported, citing the country's defense casualty analysis system. At least six US Army Reserve soldiers were killed earlier in March by a direct Iranian strike on a makeshift operations center at Kuwait's Shuaiba port. Days later, an Army sergeant died after sustaining injuries during an attack in Saudi Arabia.
On 12 March, six service members were killed after a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, a refueling aircraft, crashed in western Iraq, even though the incident was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.”
Earlier this month, the US Navy suspended its search for a missing service member whose helicopter went down in the Arabian Sea, with the military stating that there was "no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action."
The latest casualties come as the fragile ceasefire between the two sides collapsed this week, with both sides exchanging fire.
