CENTCOM Strikes Iran as U.S. Death Toll Hits 17
The U.S. military launched a new wave of strikes against Iran on Sunday as the U.S. military death toll in the conflict rose to 17 since fighting began in February.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest operation began at 7 p.m. ET Sunday, marking the ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian targets.
The command said the strikes were aimed at degrading Iranian military capabilities used to threaten commercial shipping and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The targets were not disclosed.
The strikes came after the U.S. military confirmed Sunday that three American service members had been killed in recent days.
Two service members were killed in action during an Iranian missile and drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan on Friday. Separately, a third service member was killed Saturday in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone.
Four other American service members injured in the Jordan attack were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and later discharged, while personnel treated for minor injuries returned to duty. One service member remains missing. In the Iraq incident, another service member was wounded and continues to receive treatment for a minor injury.
The military said it is withholding the identities of the fallen service members until their families are notified.
The latest CENTCOM operation followed weekend airstrikes targeting Iranian coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, missile and drone storage sites, and maritime capabilities. CENTCOM said the strikes were intended to “punish” IRGC forces responsible for attacks against U.S. service members in Jordan.
Meanwhile, Iran continued launching attacks against U.S. allies in the Middle East. Iran’s state-run IRIB reported strikes targeting sites in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq on Sunday.
Iran’s military said one of its attacks on Kuwait Sunday targeted a U.S. ammunition depot at Camp al-Adiri and air defense radars at Ali Al Salem airbase, which hosts American personnel.
The Iranian military also claimed that its naval air defense systems intercepted and shot down a U.S. LUCAS drone over southern Iran.
As the on-and-off conflict enters its 21st week, neither side has presented a clear path toward ending the fighting.
Iran’s supreme leader warned of “unforgettable lessons” if Washington continues its attacks on the Islamic Republic.
The remarks, broadcast on state television and attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been publicly seen since the war began, described President Donald Trump’s signature on the interim agreement as “worthless and invalid.”
An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments under the deal signed about a month ago that was intended to permanently end the fighting. “The U.S. has violated its commitments under the deal and now Iran is ‘no longer implementing them,’” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, told state television.
In response to the deaths of U.S. service members, Trump warned of a tougher U.S. response against Iran. “The gates of hell have now been unleashed like they never could have imagined or seen before,” he said, without elaborating. Trump also called on Congress to include new Iran penalties in a broader Russia sanctions package.
