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US Central Command on Saturday confirmed two service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan, marking the first combat deaths since a ceasefire collapsed last week according to Reuters. The two died on Friday defending against ballistic missile and drone strikes with a third service member listed as missing in action and several others injured. The New York Times reported these were the first US fatalities from hostile fire in the current phase of the conflict that began with US and Israeli operations at the end of February. This escalation has disrupted energy supplies and raised global inflation concerns.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated that the attacks had exposed the worthlessness of President Donald Trump’s signature. “The dear Iranian nation and the axis of resistance have unforgettable lessons to offer,” he said in a statement carried by state TV. Senior military adviser Mohsen Rezaei warned that Tehran would launch full-scale offensive operations if US strikes continued while deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi added that Washington was not getting anywhere with its aggressive actions and that Iran had halted all commitments under the abandoned memorandum.
In retaliation Iran struck infrastructure around the Gulf with Kuwait coming under sustained assault its armed forces reporting the interception of ballistic missiles and drones. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said one of its oil facilities had been hit causing significant damage and injuries to firefighters and oil sector workers. Residents reported rushing to buy water and canned goods as a power and water plant was also struck. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for targeting a US support centre at Camp Arifjan and a radar facility at Ali Al Salem Air Base.
Bahrain’s army said its air defences repelled a wave of attacks while Iranian media reported strikes on Sheikh Isa Air Base and an intelligence data centre according to AFP. Jordanian state TV indicated fuel tanks at the Al-Azraq base had been hit with at least two US fighter jets destroyed and the army reporting it shot down 10 missiles on Saturday plus three the previous day. Iran also appeared to target Saudi Arabia for the first time in more than three months with shelter alerts issued for Al-Kharj near a base hosting US troops and the Red Sea oil terminal of Yanbu.
US Central Command stated its seventh consecutive day of strikes had hit surveillance sites weapons stores and maritime capabilities inside Iran. Iranian media reported that US raids on the southern province of Hormozgan killed three people and wounded eight while damaging two bridges and a tunnel. Iran’s health ministry placed the overall death toll at 50 with more than 500 injured over three weeks of fighting.
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused Washington of seeking control of the Strait of Hormuz which carries about one fifth of the world’s oil. Both sides have targeted shipping in the waterway with a merchant vessel and military forces involved in an incident off Oman UK Maritime Trade Operations reported. Oil prices rose more than 4 percent on Friday reaching a one-month high as the clashes added to economic pressures ahead of US congressional elections.
