US military unleashes retaliatory strikes against Iran after soldiers killed in Jordan
US Central Command (Centcom) announced that the US military launched airstrikes on Iran on Saturday evening in retaliation for Tehran’s strikes on two military bases in Jordan a day earlier, killing two US soldiers.
The new wave of attacks began at 6 p.m. EDT in what U.S. officials said was an effort to further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and “punish” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which fired missiles and drones at U.S. troops in Jordan on Friday.
Apart from the US soldiers killed in action in Jordan, one soldier is currently missing, according to Centcom. The US military’s death toll since the beginning of the conflict has risen to 16.
The four US soldiers were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged. Other personnel who sustained “minor injuries” returned to duty, according to the US military.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “They are heroes, for God’s sake. Their sacrifice only strengthens our resolve.” in question on Saturday.
Saturday’s attacks mark the eighth consecutive day that US forces have conducted kinetic action against Iran at Centcom’s site.
As President Trump seeks to crack down on Tehran’s regime, the U.S. military has expanded strikes across Iran in recent days, hitting energy infrastructure, port facilities, bridges and other targets.
Iran has opened fire on US allies in the region, hitting nearby US bases and power and desalination plants, escalating tensions as the two sides inch closer to all-out war.
Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei accused the United States of violating the fragile ceasefire.
“Now that the American enemy is trying to escalate the conflict, thus causing heavier costs and greater humiliation, he should know that the noble nation of Iran and the Resistance Front have unforgettable lessons waiting for him,” Khamenei said on social media.
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