2 US Service Members Dead, 1 Missing After Iranian Drone, Missile Attacks

Two U.S. service members in Jordan have been killed and another remains missing following Iranian missile and drone attacks.

The announcement, made Saturday afternoon by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), stated that U.S. military personnel and partner forces worked in cohesion to defend against Iranian attacks in the region. The services and ranks of the individuals were not disclosed.

Another four U.S. service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals but have since been discharged. Other personnel evaluated for minor injuries have also returned to duty. Their services and ranks also were not disclosed.

CENTCOM, following traditional protocols of notifying next of kin out of respect for the service members’ families, is withholding the identities of the fallen warriors for 24 hours.

The casualties bring the U.S. death count to 16 as part of the war against Iran that began with joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. Another 430 war fighters have been injured.

Nature of the Attack

The Associated Press reported Saturday that the most significant damage from said strikes occurred in Kuwait as a water desalination plant and an oil facility were hit, citing Kuwait authorities and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation—both of which declined to provide locations.

Several were injured at the oil facility after the strikes caused a fire at the desalination plant, forcing several power generation units offline. It was the second such attack in two days, in a nation that reportedly depends on desalination for 90% of its drinking water.

Minutes prior to the deadly Iranian attacks, Iran’s supreme leader warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the U.S. continues attacking the Islamic Republic, according to the AP. The remarks were reportedly read out on state TV and attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, still unseen since the war began, who called President Donald Trump’s signature “worthless and invalid.”

As of 2:15 p.m. ET Saturday, Trump had not publicly remarked on the fallen or missing service members.

The supreme leader’s remarks came hours after a negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal signed about a month ago and aimed at permanently ending the fighting, per the AP.

Military operations remain ongoing in the Middle East as multiple negotiation efforts and ceasefire attempts have fallen by the wayside, with U.S. negotiations including Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance failing to secure long-term stability under the previous so-called memorandum of understanding that drafted a path towards both countries reaching some kind of truce.

The conflict, viewed unfavorably by most Americans according to polling conducted since the war began, approaches the five-month mark with seemingly no direct end in sight.

UPDATED 2:23 p.m. ET, 7/18/26: This story was updated with additional information.