Two US soldiers killed in Jordan as Iran threatens 'unforgettable lessons' and strikes Gulf civilian sites

US casualties in Jordan

On 17 July, Iranian ballistic missiles and drones struck US forces in Jordan, killing two American soldiers and leaving a third missing. The US Central Command (Centcom) announced the deaths on 18 July, stating that four other personnel were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and later released, while additional members with minor injuries returned to duty. The attack targeted the Azraq airbase, according to Iranian sources, a facility regularly hosting US fighter jets. These are the first US military fatalities since hostilities resumed on 7 July, following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire.

Khamenei threatens 'unforgettable lessons'

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei responded on 18 July with a written message broadcast on state television, warning that the US would receive "unforgettable lessons" if it continued its strikes on Iran. He declared that the repeated violation of the 17 June protocol had shown that President Donald Trump's signature was "totally devoid of value and credibility." Khamenei's military advisor, Mohsen Rezaï, went further, threatening a "total offensive" if American bombardments persisted beyond two to three days.

Now that the American enemy seeks to incite war, it must know that the dear Iranian nation and the front of resistance have unforgettable lessons to offer it.

Strikes on civilian infrastructure in the Gulf

For the second consecutive day, Iran struck civilian infrastructure in Kuwait, severely damaging a vital oil site and shutting down production units at a power plant and water desalination facility. Temperatures reached 47°C on 18 July, intensifying the impact. The Gulf Cooperation Council denounced the attacks as "war crimes," and the United Nations called strikes on civilian sites "unacceptable." Ali Mahmoud, an Egyptian employee at a Kuwaiti electricity provider, described widespread fear of power outages and the war spreading.

The fear of power cuts is obvious, given the general calls to reduce consumption and turn off non-essential appliances. People are worried about seeing the war expand.

Iran also targeted sites in Jordan and Bahrain, while asserting that US missiles had hit civilian infrastructure inside Iran, including bridges, telecommunications, and a seawater pumping station at a desalination plant in Hormozgan province. Washington maintained it had struck only military targets: surveillance sites, logistics infrastructure, underground weapons depots, and maritime assets.

US strikes and damage in Iran

The US conducted a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military sites on the night of 17–18 July, described as more intense than previous raids. Iranian authorities in Hormozgan reported at least three dead and eight wounded. State media published images of destroyed bridges in the south and video of a damaged tunnel closed to traffic. Iran claimed that a seawater pumping station and an electrical transformer at a desalination plant were "completely destroyed," while the US insisted no civilian targets were hit.

Strait of Hormuz tensions

Both sides are escalating operations in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Washington is seeking to restore a naval blockade, while Tehran says it is targeting vessels that do not comply with its navigation rules. Iran claimed to have stopped four merchant ships using missiles and drones, an assertion the US military denied.

Timeline of escalation

The current crisis traces back to the opening of hostilities on 28 February 2026. A protocol signed on 17 June aimed to halt the fighting, and a fragile ceasefire was declared on 27 June. Hostilities resumed on 7 July, and the past week has seen a sharp intensification, culminating in the 17 July attack that killed two US soldiers and Khamenei's 18 July threat.