Two United States service members were killed, and another remains missing after an Iranian missile and drone attack on a military base in Jordan, marking the first American combat deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the conflict.
According to report, U.S. military said the attack happened on Friday as American and allied forces defended the base against a wave of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
Four additional service members were injured and evacuated to hospitals in Jordan for treatment. They have since been discharged, according to the military. The Pentagon has not released the identities of the two personnel who were killed.
The casualties came as the United States and Iran traded another round of strikes, further dimming hopes of reviving a fragile agreement that had briefly slowed hostilities.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned the United States of “unforgettable lessons” if attacks on the Islamic Republic continue, while dismissing President Donald Trump’s signature on the interim agreement as “worthless and invalid.”
His statement, broadcast on Iranian state television, came shortly after Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi announced that Tehran had suspended its commitments under the month-old agreement, accusing Washington of violating its own obligations.
The deal had been intended as a stepping stone toward a permanent end to the fighting, but both sides have since resumed military operations.
The conflict has increasingly centered on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, with both sides battling for control of the strategic waterway.
The U.S. Central Command said its forces carried out a seventh consecutive night of airstrikes, targeting surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons depots and maritime assets inside Iran.
Meanwhile, Iranian strikes caused some of the most significant damage in Kuwait, where authorities said missiles hit a desalination plant and an oil facility. Several workers were injured, a fire broke out at the desalination plant, and multiple power generation units were forced offline.
It was the second attack on a Kuwaiti desalination facility in two days, raising fresh concerns in a country that relies on desalination plants for about 90% of its drinking water.
Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace because of the missile threat, while the national airline rescheduled most incoming and outgoing flights.
Elsewhere, Iraq said it intercepted attack drones over Irbil, while Jordan reported shooting down Iranian missiles. Air raid sirens also sounded repeatedly in Bahrain and parts of Saudi Arabia.
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, condemned Iran’s attacks on civilian infrastructure, accusing Tehran of committing war crimes.
Iranian state media said U.S. airstrikes damaged an electricity facility and desalination plants in Hormozgan province. The Bonji desalination plant was reportedly destroyed, cutting water supplies to around 10,000 residents, while another facility on Qeshm Island also sustained damage.
Iranian authorities also reported damage to bridges and tunnels leading to Bandar Abbas, the country’s largest port near the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting one of the main transport routes into the city.
For the first time since the latest phase of the conflict began, Iran officially acknowledged that power infrastructure had been targeted, with the Energy Ministry urging residents in southern provinces to reduce electricity consumption during extreme heat.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned countries hosting U.S. forces to expect retaliation if the attacks continue.
Iran says at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in U.S. strikes over the past three weeks, including eight people killed in a bridge attack on Friday.
The Pentagon also confirmed that 13 more U.S. personnel 10 soldiers and three sailors have been wounded since Monday. That brings total American casualties since the war began to 14 killed and 427 wounded.
The struggle over the Strait of Hormuz continues to disrupt global energy markets.
Iran effectively shut the waterway to commercial shipping after the conflict erupted in February, sending oil prices sharply higher. Tehran insists the strait should remain under its control and has demanded that vessels pay transit fees, despite international recognition of the passage as a global waterway.
The United States has responded by restoring a naval blockade on Iranian ports and has threatened further strikes on Iranian infrastructure, including power stations and bridges, if Tehran refuses to ease its grip on the strategic channel.
Although more oil is now being transported through regional pipelines, analysts say they cannot fully compensate for the sharp decline in tanker traffic through Hormuz.
The renewed fighting has also complicated efforts to revive negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, while increasing pressure on President Donald Trump to bring the conflict to an end and avoid a prolonged war in the Middle East.
Associate Press.
