US launches fresh strikes after 2 military personnel killed by Iranian attack

The United States launched fresh strikes against Iran after two US military personnel were killed in Jordan and one another went missing following an Iranian attack.

“Today at 6 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began launching new airstrikes against Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction. The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night,” read a post on X from US Central Command.

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Today at 6 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began launching new airstrikes against Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction. The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard…

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— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 18, 2026

Before carrying out strikes on Saturday, Iran’s supreme leader had earlier warned that Washington would pay for “seeking to escalate the conflict.”

According to Iran’s Mehr news agency, the US attack took place near Sirik in southern Iran, adding that no casualties or damage to infrastructure was reported.

Both sides have intensified attacks since an interim ​ceasefire deal signed nearly a month ago fell apart last week.

Earlier, the Central Command informed that the two deaths occurred on Friday and that a third US service ​member was missing in action. This took the total number of US service members killed since the war began to 16, while more than 420 have been ⁠wounded, Reuters reported.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: “Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”

In a written statement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the US actions have shown that Donald Trump’s signature was “utterly worthless and ​devoid of credibility.” Further, he warned of “even heavier costs and further humiliation” for the US.

As of now, Khamenei’s whereabouts remain a mystery.