Summary US Central Command announced earlier today that two US service members were killed and one is missing in action, marking the first American military fatalities from Iranian fire since March.
(Web Desk) - The US military on Saturday said it began launching new airstrikes against Iran to “swiftly punish” it for killing American service members.
“The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
Today at 6 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began launching new airstrikes against Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction. The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 18, 2026
US Central Command announced earlier today that two US service members were killed and one is missing in action, marking the first American military fatalities from Iranian fire since March.
‘A VERY SAD THING’: TRUMP REACTS TO DEATHS OF TROOPS
President Donald Trump told NewsNation on Saturday that the deaths of two US service members in Jordan were “a very sad thing.”
BREAKING: In his first reaction to the announcement two U.S. service members were killed in action by Iranian attacks yesterday President Trump told me @NewsNation it’s “very sad, it’s a very sad thing. We hate to see it happen. It’s in service to our country,” but the president…
— Hannah Brandt (@HannahBrandt_TV) July 18, 2026
“We hate to see it happen. It’s in service to our country,” Trump told NewsNation.
The president spent Saturday at his property in Bedminster, New Jersey, and has yet to issue a public statement on the latest US casualties.
US WAITING FOR COOLER WEATHER TO LAUNCH GROUND INCURSION, EX-OFFICIAL SAYS
Asghar Ebrahimi-Asl, Iran’s former deputy oil minister, claimed Saturday that the United States was establishing major bases in countries including the United Arab Emirates and recruiting foreign mercenaries to prepare for an incursion into Iran.
He said possible targets could include Qeshm Island, part of Kharg Island or sections of Iran’s southern coast, and claimed Washington may delay a ground operation until cooler weather arrives in September.
TRUMP DEFENDS IRAN WAR AFTER DEMOCRATS BLAME HIM FOR TROOP DEATHS
President Donald Trump on Saturday defended the US war with Iran after Democrats blamed him for the deaths of two American service members killed in an Iranian attack.
Speaking to the New York Post as the US launched retaliatory strikes against Iran, Trump compared the casualties to deaths in previous US wars and said the attack showed “how bad” Iran was.
“Have you ever asked how many people died in Vietnam? Have you ever asked how many people died in Afghanistan in one day? In one day — run by Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump told the New York Post.
I spoke to President Trump tonight as the US launched retaliatory strikes against Iran. He said the US troops died “because they don't want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
— Caitlin Doornbos (@CaitlinDoornbos) July 19, 2026
“It just shows you how bad [the Iranians] are,” he added.
