Updated July 18, 2026 at 3:03 PM AKDT
The U.S. military said it had launched new airstrikes against Iran on Saturday evening, at the direction of President Trump, in retaliation for Friday's attack in Jordan that killed two American service members and left one more missing.
"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," the U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted on social media.
Four other American service members were medically evacuated after Iranian attacks in Jordan on Friday, according to the U.S. military.
The four American service members who were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals have since been discharged, Central Command said in a social media post earlier on Saturday.
"Out of respect for the families, CENTCOM will withhold additional information, including the identities of the fallen warriors, until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified," it added in the statement.
Iran's military said it struck the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key installation used by Jordanian and U.S. coalition forces.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a social media post on Saturday called the fallen service members "heroes."
"Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve," he wrote.
Sixteen U.S. service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded since the war with Iran began.
The U.S. and Iran have widened the scope of targets in the latest strikes and the escalation has led to broader concerns that there could be an all-out war amid the fighting for control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has closed the strait and the U.S. military said it has reinstated a naval blockade of Iran.
U.S. forces ended its seven planned nights of strikes against Iran on Friday night, according to CENTCOM. Underground weapons storage and surveillance sites were among the Iranian assets that were struck, CENTCOM said.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamene on Saturday warned the U.S. that it would face "unforgettable lessons" if it continued its attacks. The comments, which were read on Iranian state TV and attributed to the leader, also included remarks that President Trump's signature on their memorandum of understanding was "worthless and invalid."
On Friday, authorities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar — a mediator in talks to end the war — said their air defense systems were intercepting hostile attacks. Jordan held off those attacks, according to its state media. Iranian strikes were also reported in Iraq's Kurdistan region, where at least eight opposition fighters were killed, according to a Kurdish Iranian opposition group.
NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi contributed reporting.
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