Two U.S. service members were killed and one was missing in Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan on Friday, military officials said.
US Central Command (Centcom) said four US troops were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan but have since been released. The rest, who received minor injuries, returned to duty.
US military officials have not revealed the identities of those killed or provided details about the circumstances or location of the incident.
On Saturday evening, the United States launched another round of air strikes on Iran at the direction of President Donald Trump, Centcom said.
The strikes – the eighth consecutive night – “are designed to further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said.
The strikes are aimed at “quickly punishing Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces who carried out attacks on US troops in Jordan last night,” the statement said, without elaborating.
It followed a week of renewed fighting in which Washington renewed a blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed as their tentative ceasefire broke down less than a month after it began.
Late Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written statement that America’s “repeated violations” of the agreement “revealed a fundamental truth: the US President’s signature is completely worthless and lacks credibility.”
Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the attack that killed his father early in the war, accused the US of seeking to “escalate the conflict” and said Iran was “preparing unforgettable lessons for this.”
Jordan’s military earlier said it intercepted 10 Iranian missiles fired into its airspace overnight, without reporting any damage.
The U.S. death toll in the conflict rose to 16 after a U.S. Navy pilot who went missing earlier this month was declared dead, marking the second increase in the death toll this week.
A Centcom statement on Saturday said: “Two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action as U.S. Central Command (Centcom) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. In addition, one soldier is currently missing in action.
“Out of respect for the families, Centcom will withhold additional information, including the identities of fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin are notified.”
In response to the news of the deaths, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X: “Blessings to you, heroes. Their sacrifice will only strengthen our resolve.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it destroyed at least two American fighter jets at the Al-Azraq base in Jordan early Saturday morning, according to Iranian state media.
The BBC contacted Centcom about the report but declined to provide further details.
Separately on Saturday, the US State Department issued an advisory advising Americans around the world, but especially in the Middle East, to exercise “heightened caution.”
The travel notice urged residents of the region to “monitor the news for the latest developments,” adding: “Due to increased tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains challenging with the potential for unforeseen escalation.”