BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey — The U.S. military confirmed Saturday that two more American service members had died in connection with the war against Iran. A third death was announced Sunday, raising the reported U.S. military death toll in the conflict to 17.
The latest casualties underscore the dangerous reach of modern warfare, where U.S. troops do not have to be engaged in ground combat to face deadly threats. With drones, missiles and aircraft shaping the conflict, American forces stationed across the Middle East have increasingly been exposed as Iran targets U.S. positions and partner nations following the collapse of peace negotiations.
President Donald Trump has defended the war as a necessary step to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. By Saturday afternoon, however, he had not personally commented on the newest deaths in Jordan. The White House instead circulated the statement released by U.S. Central Command.
First fatalities came soon after the war started
The conflict’s early days were already marked by heavy losses. Soon after fighting began on Feb. 28, an Iranian drone attack struck a civilian port in Kuwait, killing six American soldiers. The troops, assigned to an Iowa-based supply and logistics unit, had been working inside a shipping container-like structure that lacked defensive protection.
Another soldier died more than a week after being injured in Iran’s March 1 attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
Later that month, six U.S. service members were killed when a KC-135 refueling plane supporting American military operations against Iran went down in Iraq. U.S. Central Command said the aircraft was flying in “friendly” airspace when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft occurred.
On Monday, the military also reported the death of a Navy pilot after a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea. The Navy initially characterized the July 1 incident as an emergency landing and said there was “no indication” hostile action caused the emergency. Three other sailors who were aboard the helicopter survived and were rescued.
U.S. Central Command said Saturday that two service members were killed in Jordan while helping defend against Iranian ballistic missile and drone strikes. At the time, officials said one American service member remained missing after the attack.
The military said as part of the most recent announcement that it was withholding additional information, including the names of the deceased, until 24 hours after families had been notified.
The deaths in the war are not limited to Americans.
Iranian authorities said at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in U.S. strikes in the past three weeks, including eight killed in a strike on a bridge Friday.
People working on ships, as well as foreign workers and others in Gulf nations, Israel and Lebanon have also perished in the conflict.
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