U.S. and Iran inch closer to broader war after American troops are killed
TheGrio...
The latest military escalation comes as a fragile peace agreement collapses and fighting over the Strait of Hormuz threatens service members, civilians, and the global economy.
The United States launched a new round of airstrikes against Iran on Sunday after two American service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a military base in Jordan.
The strikes mark another dangerous escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two countries, which has intensified as the United States and Iran battle over access to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes.
U.S. Central Command said American forces targeted facilities connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including coastal surveillance and air defense systems, maritime operations, and missile and drone storage sites.
Military officials described the strikes as retaliation for the deaths of two U.S. troops at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Another American service member remained missing after the attack, while four others were treated at hospitals and later released, according to reports.
The identities of the troops killed had not been publicly announced as of Sunday morning.
The latest deaths bring the number of American service members killed during the Iran war to 16, according to the Associated Press. More than 430 U.S. troops have been wounded since the conflict began in February.
Behind those numbers are military families now confronting the human cost of a conflict that has continued to expand despite repeated efforts to stop the fighting.
Iran responded to the U.S. campaign by launching additional missiles toward Jordan. Jordanian officials said the country’s military intercepted several missiles and reported no new casualties or damage.
Kuwait and Bahrain also activated air defenses amid incoming Iranian missiles and drones. Kuwait said an attack struck a power and water desalination facility for the second time in two days, causing fires but leaving the country’s power grid operational.
The exchanges have pushed the United States and Iran closer to an all-out war after an interim agreement intended to end the fighting began to collapse.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the dispute. Before the war, approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply traveled through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Shipping has since fallen dramatically as commercial vessels face attacks, competing directives and warnings about traveling through the region.
According to the Associated Press, only eight ships passed through the strait on Saturday and three on Friday. Before the war, the daily average was nearly 140 vessels.
That disruption is not just a foreign-policy problem. Reduced oil shipments can drive up gasoline prices, transportation expenses and the cost of everyday goods in the United States. Those increases often hit working-class households first and hardest, particularly families already stretching their budgets to cover housing, groceries, and utilities.
Oil prices climbed following an earlier round of attacks near the strait, adding political and economic pressure on President Donald Trump as the war continues.
Trump has defended the military operation as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to restore commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. His administration has also reimposed a blockade on ships traveling to and from Iranian ports.
Iran, meanwhile, has accused the United States of violating the interim agreement and said it was suspending its commitments under the deal. Iranian officials have warned that additional American attacks could produce an even larger military response.
As Washington and Tehran continue exchanging strikes, the stakes are becoming increasingly difficult to contain. American troops remain in danger, civilians across the Middle East are confronting attacks on critical infrastructure, and families around the world could face higher prices as oil shipments remain disrupted.
What began as another international crisis is becoming a war with increasingly direct consequences at home.