The U.S. military announced that it had launched new airstrikes against targets in Iran, with the aim, as it stated, of “swiftly punishing” the Revolutionary Guards for the attack in Jordan that resulted in the deaths of two American service members.

According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the operations are also intended to further degrade Iran’s ability to restrict shipping and threaten commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which, prior to the war, approximately 20% of the world’s oil supplies passed.

Earlier, statements by U.S. officials conveyed Trump’s outrage over the strikes in Jordan that caused the two deaths. They even reported that the U.S. president ordered “the gates of hell to be opened” against Iran.

Strikes in southern Iran

The new U.S. attacks took place after the announcement of the first deaths of American soldiers from direct Iranian fire since the start of the war. The attack, carried out with drones and missiles against a base in Jordan, resulted in two soldiers killed, one missing, and four wounded.

Iranian media reported strikes in areas of Hormozgan Province, including near Shirik, Hajibad, Bandar Abbas, and Qeshm Island.

Explosions in Erbil

In neighboring Iraq, a drone struck a base of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, near Erbil, injuring eight of its members, according to a group official.

Erbil residents also reported hearing explosions, as the city has been the target of drone attacks in recent days.

Trump on the dead American soldiers: “A very sad event”

U.S. President Donald Trump, the deaths of two American soldiers in the Iranian attacks in Jordan, in his first public statement following the announcement of the casualties.

“We don’t like to see this happen. They are serving our country,” Trump said in an interview with NewsNation.

The U.S. president also reiterated Washington’s position on Tehran’s nuclear program, stressing that the United States “will never allow” Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.

Hegese: “Their sacrifice strengthens our resolve”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegesez commented on the deaths of two American service members in Jordan, emphasizing that the incident will not sway the U.S. stance.

“Their sacrifice only strengthens our resolve,” he said in a post on the X platform.

New Threats and Attacks from Tehran

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that continued U.S. attacks would have “unforgettable consequences,” while Tehran announced that it is suspending its commitments under the interim agreement aimed at ending hostilities.

Iran announced that it had claimed responsibility for large-scale drone attacks against two U.S. military facilities in Kuwait.

According to a statement by the Iranian military, broadcast by the state-run IRIB, “devastating unmanned aerial vehicles” struck an ammunition depot at al-Adiri Camp, as well as Patriot radar and air defense systems at Ali al-Salem Air Base.

Source: ertnews.gr