US Troops Killed in Jordan as Iran Abandons Interim Deal and Escalates Strait of Hormuz Conflict
Tehran tears up its interim peace agreement and warns of "unforgettable lessons" as regional infrastructure is targeted.
Two U.S. service members have been killed and another remains missing following an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on a military base in Jordan. The strike marks the first American combat deaths directly attributed to Iranian fire since the outbreak of the current war, signaling a dangerous escalation in the regional conflict.
According to a statement from U.S. Central Command, the casualties occurred on Friday during a coordinated defense against Iranian aerial assaults. Four other American personnel were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged. The identity of the deceased service members has not yet been released.
The deaths bring the total number of U.S. military fatalities since the start of the war to 16, with more than 430 others wounded. The attack in Jordan—a key regional ally hosting American forces under long-standing bilateral defense agreements—represents a direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran that threatens to draw the two nations into an all-out war. U.S. officials also acknowledged that 13 additional service members, including ten Army soldiers and three Navy sailors, have been injured in separate incidents since Monday.
Hours before the casualties were announced, Iran formally suspended its commitments to an interim diplomatic agreement signed just a month ago. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, announced on state television that Tehran would no longer implement the deal, accusing the United States of violating its own commitments under the pact.
In a written statement read on state television, Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei—who has remained out of public view since the conflict began—warned of “unforgettable lessons” for the United States. Khamenei dismissed President Donald Trump’s diplomatic signature as “worthless and invalid” and called on Iran’s regional proxies, known as the “Axis of Resistance,” to challenge American forces.
The escalation comes as both nations vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint that historically handles approximately 20 percent of the world’s petroleum liquids, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Iran effectively closed the strait to shipping traffic following joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on February 28, driving global oil prices upward. Trump has responded by reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and threatening to target Iran’s domestic power grid and transportation infrastructure to force the waterway open.
The regional fallout of the conflict spread heavily into neighboring Gulf states on Saturday. Kuwait suffered severe damage to its critical infrastructure when Iranian strikes hit an oil facility and a water desalination plant. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation confirmed that several workers were injured at the undisclosed oil facility, while the Kuwait Fire Force battled blazes at the desalination plant. The attack marks the second strike on Kuwaiti water infrastructure in 48 hours, a critical threat to a nation that relies on desalination for 90 percent of its drinking water. Kuwait briefly closed its airspace and rescheduled commercial flights due to the missile threats.
Elsewhere in the region, Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency reported that the kingdom’s air defenses intercepted several Iranian missiles. Iraq reported downing attack drones over the northern city of Irbil, while air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned the strikes on civilian infrastructure, labeling them as war crimes.
In response, U.S. forces conducted their seventh consecutive night of retaliatory airstrikes. According to Central Command, the operations targeted Iranian surveillance sites, logistics hubs, underground weapons depots, and maritime assets. Iranian state media reported that U.S. strikes destroyed the Bonji desalination plant in southern Hormozgan province, cutting off water to 10,000 residents, and damaged transport infrastructure leading to the strategic port of Bandar Abbas. Tehran claims at least 50 people have been killed and 500 wounded in U.S. strikes over the past three weeks.
