By US names two soldiers killed in Jordan, third remains missing after Iranian attack
Smoke rises from an explosion at an unknown location during what US Central Command says are strikes on Iran. (US Central Command via Reuters)
In short:
The Pentagon identified 1st Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, as the two US soldiers killed while defending against Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan.
The military is examining unidentified remains recovered from the attack site as it searches for a third missing service member.
Iran and the US exchanged fresh strikes across the Middle East, with attacks targeting military assets, commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure, including desalination plants.
The United States has identified two soldiers killed while defending against Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan, as the American military death toll in the war with Iran climbs to 17.
The Pentagon said 1st Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, were killed while supporting the US-led mission against Islamic State in Jordan.
US Central Command said the pair died on Friday while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. It has not disclosed how they were killed.
A third service member remains missing after the attack, with Central Command saying “unidentified remains” had been recovered from the site and were undergoing examination.
The latest deaths underscore the widening reach of the conflict, with US forces stationed across the Middle East increasingly exposed to Iranian retaliation despite not fighting on the ground inside Iran.
President Donald Trump has defended the military campaign as necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, saying the latest US strikes were carried out “in honour” of the fallen troops.
The conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and allied militia groups.
People stand on a bridge destroyed after a strike in Hormozgan province, southern Iran. (AP Photo: Iranian Students’ News Agency)
The first American fatalities came days after the war began, when an Iranian drone strike on a civilian port in Kuwait killed six US soldiers from an Iowa-based logistics unit.
A seventh soldier later died from injuries sustained during an Iranian missile attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
In March, six service members were killed when a KC-135 refuelling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed in Iraq.
On Saturday, another US service member was killed in northern Iraq while carrying out a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone. A second service member was injured.
Separately, the US military said a Navy pilot died after a helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea earlier this month during what it described as an emergency landing not believed to be caused by hostile action.
Iran claims strikes on US military assets
The Muwaffaq Salti air base, east of Amman, had been targeted, according to unverified video on social media. (Supplied: Planet Labs PBC)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday they had launched fresh attacks on US military assets across the Middle East after another night of American air strikes on Iranian cities.
The Guards said they targeted Jordan’s Aqaba airport, military facilities in Kuwait and positions in Syria with ballistic missiles.
Sirens sounded in Bahrain, while Kuwait’s military said it intercepted hostile drones during the attacks.
Iran also claimed two oil tankers had exploded while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, though Reuters could not independently verify the claim. Separately, British maritime authorities said a commercial vessel had been struck by an unidentified projectile off the coast of Oman.
US Central Command said it had conducted a ninth consecutive night of strikes aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping through the strategic waterway.
The conflict has also expanded to attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Kuwait said one of its desalination plants had been struck for a second consecutive day, causing a fire. Desalination facilities provide most of the drinking water for Gulf nations, raising concerns about water security across the region.
Iran has accused the United States of previously striking one of its own desalination plants and has threatened to retaliate against similar facilities elsewhere in the Gulf.
Iranian authorities say at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in US strikes over the past three weeks, while the broader conflict has killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.
Both sides leave door open to diplomacy
Despite the escalating violence, both Washington and Tehran indicated they remained open to renewed negotiations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would continue targeting Iran while it threatened international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, but said Washington remained open to a diplomatic solution.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry also said diplomacy remained “a tool through which we pursue our national interests, just like war”, signalling talks had not been ruled out.
The renewed fighting has also pushed oil prices above US$90 a barrel and driven US petrol prices above US$4 a gallon, adding to political pressure on Mr Trump ahead of November’s congressional midterm elections.
ABC/wires
Originally published on www.abc.net.au — View original