US attacks Iran over soldier deaths as campaign against Tehran continues – National

The United States launched more air strikes on Iran on Sunday in response to the killing of US soldiers, and Iran fired missiles towards Jordan risking expanding the conflict to neighboring Israel.

Step by step, the US and Iran are getting closer to all-out war as a temporary deal last month intended to permanently end the fighting has failed and shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has largely ground to a halt. Both sides have targeted civil infrastructure that millions of people rely on.

The US military said the latest strikes targeted Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for Friday’s killing of soldiers in Jordan. The campaign, now in its second week, has shown the US targeting bridges, water desalination plants and electricity facilities in Iran. Tehran has attacked US-allied countries throughout the Middle East.

US Central Command confirmed on Sunday that two service members had died in the attack, and one person remained missing. It said it discovered unidentified remains after a search of the location earlier in the day and was working to verify the remains.

CENTCOM also said a service member was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday in a controlled explosion of an unexploded Iranian drone. A second member was injured and is being treated for minor injuries.

Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain have again activated air defenses against incoming Iranian drones and missiles. Israel warned that missiles launched at neighboring Jordan could cause fires to spread to Israeli territory for the first time in weeks.

Iran says a nuclear site under construction was hit

The US military’s Central Command said the strikes hit Iran’s “military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.” It said the attack was designed to reduce Iran’s ability to control the strait and “quickly punish the forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the power base of the Iranian theocracy that controls its ballistic missile arsenal.

Footage released by the US military appears to show attacks carried out by fighter jets and sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles. One of the target locations appears to be in a valley in a mountainous region. The Revolutionary Guards often have missile bases and other military equipment located in the mountains.

Iran’s atomic energy agency said the US strike targeted a planned nuclear power plant construction site in the southwest, state television reported.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC of the Darkhovin nuclear power plant site shows land clearing but little construction on July 9. Iran had not previously announced that the nuclear power plant was targeted.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the site, in an “early stage of development,” contained no nuclear material when UN inspectors last visited.

Jordan and almost every Gulf Arab country have been targeted

Jordan’s military said it shot down several Iranian missiles. The country hosts major American bases and relies on American air defense systems. The missile caused no casualties or damage, according to the Jordanian military.

Jordan then summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires to protest, state television reported.

The Israeli military said Iranian missiles launched at the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, just across the border, could spill over, and warned Israel to expect the first air raid sirens in the next few weeks.

Eilat, the Israeli city that neighbors Aqaba, quoted security officials as saying two interceptors were launched from its outskirts to prevent falling debris.

During the latest fighting, Iran focused attacks on Arab countries allied with the US rather than Israel, which launched war with the US on February 28. “We are ready to immediately resume fighting,” said Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

Kuwait said one of its power and water desalination plants was attacked for the second time in two days, causing a fire. The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said the electricity grid remained stable. In Kuwait, about 90% of drinking water comes from desalination.

Secretary General of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, accused Iran of committing war crimes for attacking civilian infrastructure and facilities.

International humanitarian law generally protects civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants from attack, but such locations can lose protection if used for military purposes. In such cases, attacks must be carried out proportionately and minimize harm to civilians.

The Strait of Hormuz remains key to this conflict

US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iranian power plants and bridges to try to force Tehran to loosen its control on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil supplies transited before the war. Recent attacks show that the US military is carrying out such plans.

The US in the past week reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to stop crude oil shipments. The military on Saturday said it had redirected five ships and disabled one since then.

A maritime organization overseen by the U.S. Navy said on Sunday that the threat to sailors was particularly severe following previous Iranian attacks, “with intentional hostile acts considered highly likely.” It said traffic remained low, with eight transits on Saturday and three transits on Friday. The pre-war daily average was nearly 140.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a statement on Saturday, warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the US continues to attack the Islamic Republic. An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitment to the interim agreement and accused the US of violating the agreement.

Halfway through the 60-day deal set to negotiate a permanent end to the war and other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.

Since the war began, 16 members of the US military have been killed and more than 430 injured. Iranian authorities on Sunday said at least 50 people were killed and 517 injured in the latest US attack. Iran did not provide comprehensive information regarding its material losses.

Far from the region, the war’s impact on prices of fuel and other goods has hit some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

–Metz reporting from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo contributed.

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