Washington DC/Islamabad, July 19 (ANI): Two US service members were killed and another remains missing in Jordan following Iranian ballistic missile and drone strikes on the Al-Azraq Air Base, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday (local time), as tensions between the United States and Iran continued to escalate.
According to CENTCOM, the service members were killed on July 17 while performing their duties during a coordinated defence by US and partner forces against Iranian attacks. Four additional US service members who were injured during the assault were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and have since been discharged, while other personnel treated for minor injuries have returned to duty.
“On July 17, two U.S. service members were killed in Jordan while performing their duties, during the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces’ defense against attacks launched by Iran using ballistic missiles and drones. In addition, one service member remains among the missing,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X.
The command said it would not release the identities of the deceased until at least 24 hours after their next of kin had been notified, out of respect for the families’ privacy.
US President Donald Trump described the deaths as “a very sad thing” while speaking to NewsNation after the announcement.
“Very sad, it’s a very sad thing. We hate to see it happen. It’s in service to our country,” Trump said, while reiterating that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also paid tribute to the fallen service members, posting on X: “Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”
The casualties followed Iran’s announcement on Friday that it had launched the 14th phase of Operation Lightning, targeting US military installations in Jordan and Kuwait in retaliation for continued American military strikes against Iran.
According to the Iranian Army’s Public Relations Department, fuel storage facilities at Jordan’s Al-Azraq Air Base were struck, along with an ammunition depot at Al-Udairi Camp, headquarters buildings and ammunition depots at Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and several communication bridges.
Iran said the attacks were in response to another round of US military strikes against Iranian targets, marking the seventh consecutive night of American operations.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, accused the Trump administration of destroying two major diplomatic agreements between the United States and Iran.
In a series of posts on X, Moghadam alleged that Trump had “destroyed two important achievements in the history of contemporary diplomacy” by withdrawing from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during his first administration and, more recently, by violating the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last month to end hostilities.
“Mr. Trump has already destroyed two important achievements in the history of contemporary diplomacy and continues to talk about peace. He destroyed the JCPOA agreement just 473 days after entering office in 2018. And now, by arbitrary interpretation and out of ill will, he has already destroyed the Islamabad MOU in less than 20 days after signing,” Moghadam wrote.
The Iranian envoy further alleged that Washington never intended to uphold the agreement, saying the US had demonstrated a lack of commitment by violating the MoU within weeks of its signing.
“The fact that the US side did not even hold off for 60 days to violate the MOU obviously indicates that, basically and principally, the US side lacked serious determination, will and intention for any deal to succeed,” he said, adding that the objective was to destabilise the region “without deal, within deal or via deal.”
The latest exchange comes amid renewed hostilities after the collapse of the 14-point MoU, with the United States carrying out strikes on Iranian military and civilian assets and Iran responding with attacks on American bases across the Gulf. (ANI)
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