Two US service members were killed and another remains missing after an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on a military base in Jordan, marking the first American troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, the Pentagon said on Saturday.The US military said the troops were killed on Friday while US and partner forces were defending the base against Iranian missile and drone attacks. Four other service members who were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan have since been discharged. The identities of the two deceased troops have not been released.With the latest casualties, at least 16 US service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded since the conflict began.The announcement came as tensions escalated further after Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned the United States of “unforgettable lessons” if it continued military operations against the Islamic Republic. The remarks, read out on Iranian state television, also described US President Donald Trump’s signature as “worthless and invalid.”The comments followed Iran’s announcement that it was suspending its commitments under the interim agreement signed about a month ago. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state television that the United States had violated the agreement and Tehran was “no longer implementing them.” There was no immediate update on diplomatic mediation efforts.Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces carried out a seventh consecutive night of strikes, targeting “surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities” inside Iran.The conflict has increasingly centred on the Strait of Hormuz, where the United States and Iran have exchanged attacks on military and infrastructure targets. The confrontation has disrupted commercial shipping through one of the world’s most critical energy corridors while raising concerns over civilian infrastructure, including desalination plants supplying drinking water.The heaviest reported damage from Iranian strikes on Saturday was in Kuwait, where authorities said a water desalination plant and an oil facility were hit. Several people were injured at the oil installation, while a fire at the desalination plant forced multiple power generation units offline. It was the second attack on a desalination facility in Kuwait within two days.Kuwait also reported injuries to firefighters and workers responding to separate fires triggered by the strikes. The country briefly closed its airspace because of missile threats, while Kuwait Airways rescheduled most flights.Elsewhere in the region, Iraq said it intercepted attack drones over Irbil, while Jordan reported its air defence systems shot down Iranian missiles. Air raid sirens also sounded repeatedly in Bahrain and in parts of Saudi Arabia, according to local authorities.Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, accused Iran of committing war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure.Inside Iran, state media reported that US airstrikes hit electricity and desalination infrastructure in the southern Hormozgan province. The official IRNA news agency said the Bonji desalination plant was destroyed, disrupting water supplies to around 10,000 people, while another desalination facility on Qeshm Island was damaged.Iranian media also reported overnight strikes damaged tunnels and bridges on a key highway leading to Bandar Abbas, the country’s main port near the Strait of Hormuz. IRNA said three bridges, including one on the route to Bandar Abbas, were struck on Saturday.Iran acknowledged damage to power infrastructure for the first time on Friday when its Energy Ministry urged residents in southern provinces “experiencing extreme heat” to reduce electricity consumption, though it did not specify which facilities had been hit.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned countries hosting US military forces to be “prepared to receive a corresponding response,” according to Iranian state television.Iranian authorities said at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in US strikes over the past three weeks, including eight people killed in a bridge strike on Friday.US officials also acknowledged that 13 additional American service members, including 10 Army soldiers and three Navy sailors, had been injured since Monday but did not provide further details.The fighting has also intensified around the Strait of Hormuz after Iran effectively closed the strategic waterway to commercial shipping following the outbreak of the war on February 28. Tehran has insisted the strait should remain under its sole control and has demanded vessels pay transit fees, despite its long-standing status as an international waterway. Recent attacks on commercial vessels have reduced traffic through the strait to a three-week low.President Donald Trump has renewed threats to target Iran’s power stations and bridges while the United States has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in an effort to curb the country’s crude oil exports.Before the conflict erupted, Washington and Tehran had been engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme. The prolonged fighting has since increased pressure on the Trump administration to bring the conflict to an end while avoiding a wider and prolonged war in the Middle East.
Leave a Reply