Two U.S. service members were killed and one remains missing after Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks struck a base in Jordan on Friday, U.S. Central Command confirmed Saturday, bringing the total number of U.S. military personnel killed since the war began to 16.
Four other service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and have since been discharged, according to a CENTCOM statement.
The attack targeted a U.S. military facility in Jordan as part of a wider Iranian volley across the region. Iran’s IRGC had previously claimed it was targeting what it called “US command-and-control sites” in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian territory.
CENTCOM provided no additional details about the circumstances of the attack or the identity of the missing service member, saying names would be withheld until at least 24 hours after families are notified.
At least 427 U.S. service members have been injured in the conflict since late February, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iran. The war has since expanded into a multi-front conflict involving ballistic missiles, drones, naval blockades, and strikes on infrastructure targets across the region.
Jordan, a key U.S. ally in the region, has been caught in the crossfire. During a previous Iranian attack on July 9, Jordan said it intercepted eight ballistic missiles heading toward Al-Azraq Air Base, a facility used by American forces. This time, the Iranians appear to have gotten through.
The deaths come at a moment when the U.S.-Iran conflict is widening rather than winding down. President Trump declared the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding “over” after the NATO summit in Ankara, and both sides have launched strikes on military and infrastructure targets over the past ten days. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively blockaded, and diplomatic channels have all but shut down.
The rising American death toll puts pressure on the White House to define what victory looks like, or to find an exit. So far, neither has happened. The administration keeps expanding the list of targets while insisting it does not want a full-scale war. Iran keeps firing back. And dead service members keep piling up without a clear strategic purpose that anyone in Washington can articulate.