US Strikes Iran Eighth Night After Jordan Deaths; Tehran Hits Gulf Bases

Two American service members died and one remains missing after Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17. The United States responded with its eighth consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets, hitting coastal surveillance sites, air defenses, maritime facilities, and missile and drone storage areas, according to US Central Command. Iran answered with drone and missile fire on US-linked facilities in Kuwait and sounded air raid sirens in Bahrain.

The Jordan attack followed the collapse of last month’s memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, which had aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt fighting that began in late February. US Central Command stated the new strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten shipping through the strait and to punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps units responsible for the Jordan strikes. Iranian state media reported damage to bridges, railways, tunnels, airports, roads, and desalination plants in southern provinces, with hospitals evacuating patients and schools postponing exams.

President Trump described the American deaths as “a very sad thing” and said the United States would never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. When asked about Iran’s suspension of the memorandum, he told NewsNation he “couldn’t care less.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Tehran and its allies would deliver “unforgettable lessons” and called Trump’s signature on the agreement “utterly worthless.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted that the service members’ sacrifice “only stiffens our resolve.”

Iranian forces also targeted an ammunition depot at Camp al-Adiri and air-defense radars at Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, according to Iranian military statements. Kuwait reported its air defenses confronting the attacks. Iranian authorities said at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in US strikes over the past three weeks, naming two girls among seven civilians killed in a strike on Bandar Khamir. US officials have not released independent casualty figures from the Iranian side.

The back-and-forth has left the status of the Strait of Hormuz and any renewed diplomatic channel unresolved. Oil prices rose sharply after the latest exchanges.