US troops killed in Jordan as Iran escalates drone strikes on Kuwait bases

Two US service members were killed and one remains missing after Iranian attacks on a base in Jordan, the US military confirmed, as the conflict between Washington and Tehran entered its eighth consecutive night of strikes.

US Central Command said forces had “successfully hit Iranian military capabilities” on Saturday, targeting coastal surveillance and air defence facilities on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes were “designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping” in the strategic waterway, according to Centcom.

“Two US soldiers killed in Jordan as Iran and US exchange strikes; Tehran launches drone attacks on Kuwait bases.”

Iran’s army responded with “large-scale attacks with kamikaze drones” against two American bases in Kuwait — Camp Udairi and Ali Al Salem Air Base, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported. The escalation follows a week in which Washington reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, after a preliminary ceasefire collapsed less than a month after it began.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth paid tribute to the fallen soldiers in a post on X, writing: “Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.” The US death toll in the conflict has risen to 16, after an American Navy pilot who went missing earlier this month was declared dead.

Iran’s health ministry said at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in US strikes over the past three weeks. Both sides have accused each other of targeting civilian infrastructure — the US has denied this, insisting it carried out strikes exclusively on military targets, including military logistics infrastructure. Iran said bridges and a station were hit.

In a written message, Iran’s supreme leader threatened what he called “unforgettable lessons” if the US strikes continue. The US said its latest attacks were to “swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night.”

With no ceasefire in sight and both sides deepening their assaults, the question now is how far each is willing to go before the region tips into open war.