CENTCOM: 2 US Troops Killed, 1 Missing After Iran Attacks Jordan Base/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Two US service members were killed and another was missing after Iran attacked an American base in Jordan, the US military said Saturday. Iran suspended its commitments under an interim agreement as its supreme leader threatened the United States with “unforgettable lessons.” Attacks also damaged water and energy infrastructure in Kuwait and Iran as the battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified.
Quick Look
- Two US troops were killed Friday in an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan.
- Another American service member was reported missing.
- Four troops were hospitalized and later discharged.
- The military did not immediately identify those killed.
- Sixteen US service members have died and more than 430 have been wounded since the war began.
- Iran’s supreme leader threatened the United States with “unforgettable lessons.”
- Tehran suspended its commitments under an interim agreement signed about a month earlier.
- Iranian attacks hit a Kuwaiti desalination plant and an oil facility.
- Kuwait relies on desalination for 90% of its drinking water.
- Iranian attacks also prompted alerts or interceptions in Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
- US Central Command completed its seventh consecutive night of strikes.
- American attacks damaged or destroyed desalination facilities in southern Iran.
- Iran said the destruction of the Bonji plant cut water supplies to approximately 10,000 people.
- Iranian officials reported at least 50 deaths and more than 500 injuries from US strikes over three weeks.
- Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to a three-week low.
Iranian Attack Kills Two US Troops
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two US service members were killed and another was missing following an Iranian attack on an American base in Jordan, the US military announced Saturday.
The deaths marked the first American military fatalities attributed to direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.
The troops were killed Friday as US and partner forces defended the base against ballistic missiles and drones, according to a military statement.
Four additional service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan. All four were later discharged.
The military did not immediately disclose the names, units or service branches of those killed or identify the missing service member.
US Military Death Toll Reaches 16
The latest fatalities increased the number of American service members killed since the war began to 16.
More than 430 US troops have been wounded during the conflict.
The attack in Jordan represents a serious escalation as Iranian forces increasingly target American bases across the Middle East in response to US strikes inside Iran.
Iran has also launched attacks toward military installations and infrastructure in other countries hosting American forces.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Threatens US
Minutes before the American military announced the troop deaths, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a warning to Washington.
Khamenei threatened “unforgettable lessons” if the United States continued attacking Iran.
His remarks were read on Iranian state television. Khamenei has not been seen publicly since the war began.
The Iranian leader also described President Donald Trump’s signature as “worthless and invalid.”
Khamenei said the threatened response could come from Iran and allied armed groups across the region, collectively known as the “Axis of Resistance.”
Iran Suspends Interim Agreement
Iran announced that it was suspending its obligations under an interim agreement signed approximately one month earlier to create a path toward permanently ending the war.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, accused the United States of violating its commitments.
He said Iran was “no longer implementing them.”
The decision eliminated another fragile element of the diplomatic process as the conflict continued without a clear endpoint.
There was no immediate announcement of renewed mediation efforts.
Kuwait Suffers Major Infrastructure Damage
Some of the most significant damage from Saturday’s Iranian attacks occurred in Kuwait.
Strikes hit a water desalination plant and an oil facility, according to Kuwaiti authorities and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.
Officials did not identify the locations.
Several people were injured at the oil facility, while a fire at the desalination plant forced multiple power-generating units offline.
It was the second Iranian attack on a Kuwaiti desalination facility in two days.
Water Plant Attacks Threaten Kuwait
Kuwait relies on desalination for approximately 90% of its drinking water, making attacks on those facilities a serious threat to essential civilian services.
Several firefighters and one worker were injured while fighting two other fires caused by Iranian strikes, according to the Kuwait Fire Force.
Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace because of missile threats.
Kuwait Airways said it would reschedule most flights arriving at and departing from the capital.
Iranian Attacks Spread Across Middle East
Iranian drones and missiles targeted several other countries across the region.
Iraq reported shooting down attack drones over Irbil.
Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency said the country’s air defenses intercepted Iranian missiles.
Warning sirens sounded repeatedly in Bahrain throughout Saturday and in Saudi Arabia during the morning, according to the countries’ governments.
Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, secretary general of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, accused Iran of committing war crimes by attacking infrastructure and civilian facilities.
US Completes Seventh Night of Strikes
US Central Command said American forces conducted their seventh consecutive night of attacks against Iran.
The military said the strikes hit “surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities.”
American airstrikes also hit electricity and desalination infrastructure in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, Iranian state television reported.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said the Bonji desalination plant was destroyed.
The attack reportedly cut water supplies to approximately 10,000 people.
Qeshm Island Water Facility Damaged
IRNA also reported damage to a desalination facility on Qeshm Island, a strategically important location inside the Strait of Hormuz.
Other overnight attacks damaged two tunnels and a bridge, disrupting a major highway toward Bandar Abbas.
Bandar Abbas is Iran’s main commercial port and sits near the narrowest section of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media said three bridges were struck Saturday, including one located along a route leading to the port.
US Targets Iranian Transportation Routes
American attacks have increasingly focused on roads, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure connecting Bandar Abbas to central Iran.
Damaging those routes could restrict Iran’s ability to transport military equipment, personnel and supplies to areas surrounding the strait.
Iran acknowledged “attacks on power infrastructure” for the first time Friday.
The Energy Ministry asked residents in southern provinces “experiencing extreme heat” to reduce electricity use but did not identify the damaged sites.
Iran Reports More Than 500 Wounded
Iranian authorities said US strikes killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500 during the previous three weeks.
Eight of those deaths occurred when an American attack hit a bridge Friday, officials said.
The reported casualty figures could not be independently verified.
Infrastructure attacks by both countries have increased the risks to civilians, drinking water supplies and energy production across the region.
Battle Over Strait of Hormuz Intensifies
Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping after the United States and Israel launched the war Feb. 28.
The action sent oil prices higher and gave Tehran substantial leverage in negotiations.
Iran says the strait should be under its sole control and that commercial vessels should pay fees to Tehran.
The international community has long considered it an international waterway.
Iran has fired on ships traveling through the strait in recent days, while vessel crossings have fallen to a three-week low.
Trump Threatens More Infrastructure Strikes
Trump has renewed threats to attack Iranian bridges and power stations to pressure Tehran into loosening its control over the strait.
The United States also reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports during the previous week to prevent the country from exporting crude oil.
Regional producers are transporting more oil and natural gas through pipelines, but existing capacity cannot compensate for the decline in shipping through the waterway.
Pressure Grows to End the War
Before hostilities began, Washington and Tehran had been negotiating over Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump now faces political pressure to end the fighting and avoid a prolonged Middle Eastern conflict of the kind he previously campaigned against.
The deaths of additional American troops, Iran’s withdrawal from interim commitments and expanding attacks on civilian infrastructure could make a diplomatic settlement more difficult.
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