The United States launched more airstrikes against Iran on Sunday in response to the deaths of American troops, and Iran fired missiles toward Jordan that threatened to expand the conflict into neighboring Israel.
Step by step, the United States and Iran have moved closer to an all-out war as last month’s interim deal aimed at permanently ending the fighting unraveled and shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz largely stalled. Both sides have attacked the civilian infrastructure on which millions of people depend.
The US military said the latest attacks targeted Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the killing of troops on Friday in Jordan. In the campaign, now in its second week, the United States has attacked bridges, water desalination plants and electrical facilities in Iran. Tehran has hit US-allied countries across the Middle East.
U.S. Central Command confirmed Sunday that two service members had been killed in the attack and that one remained missing. He said he found unidentified remains after a search of the scene earlier that day and is working to verify the remains.
CENTCOM also said a service member was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday during a controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian attack drone. A second member was injured and is being treated for a minor injury.
Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain once again activated their air defenses in the face of the arrival of Iranian drones and missiles. Israel warned that missiles launched into neighboring Jordan could cause fire to spread into Israeli territory for the first time in weeks.
Iran says nuclear site under construction was attacked
The US military’s Central Command said it attacked “Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.” He said the attack was designed to degrade Iran’s ability to control the strait and “quickly punish the forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” a power base in the Iranian theocracy that controls its ballistic missile arsenal.
Images released by the US military appeared to show attacks carried out by fighter jets and sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles. A target site appeared to be in a valley in a mountainous region. The Guard often has missile bases and other military equipment hidden in mountain ranges.
Iran’s atomic energy agency said the US strikes targeted the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant in the southwest, state television reported.
Planet Labs PBC satellite images of the Darkhovin nuclear plant showed land clearing but little construction as of July 9. Iran had not previously announced it was a target.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency said the site, in the “very early stages of construction,” contained no nuclear material when the U.N. watchdog last visited it.
Jordan and almost all the Gulf Arab states have been attacked.
The Jordanian military said it shot down several Iranian missiles. The country hosts major US bases and relies on US air defense systems. The missiles caused no casualties or damage, according to the Jordanian military.
Jordan later summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires to protest, state television reported.
Israel’s military said Iranian missiles launched toward the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, just across the border, could overwhelm, warning Israelis to expect the first air raid sirens in weeks.
Eilat, the Israeli city neighboring Aqaba, cited security officials as saying that two interceptors were launched from its outskirts to prevent falling debris.
During the latest fighting, Iran has focused its attacks on US-allied Arab states rather than Israel, which launched war with the US on February 28. “We are prepared to immediately resume combat,” said Israeli military chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.
Kuwait said one of its power and water desalination plants was attacked for the second time in two days, causing fires. Its Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said the power grid remains stable. In Kuwait, around 90% of drinking water comes from desalination.
The secretary general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, accused Iran of war crimes for attacks on civilian infrastructure and facilities.
International humanitarian law generally protects civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and power plants, from attack, but such sites may lose protection if they are used for military purposes. In such cases, attacks must be proportionate and minimize harm to civilians.
The Strait of Hormuz remains key to the conflict
US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran’s power plants and bridges to try to force Tehran to loosen its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supplies transited before the war. The recent attacks suggest that the US military is carrying out that plan.
Last week, the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to stop its crude oil shipments. The military said Saturday it had diverted five ships and disabled one since then.
A maritime organization overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday that the threat to sailors is serious after previous Iranian attacks, “with deliberate hostile action considered very likely.” He said traffic remained low, with eight transits on Saturday and three on Friday. The daily average before the war was almost 140.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a statement Saturday, warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the United States continues attacking the Islamic Republic. An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim agreement and accused the United States of violating it.
It’s already past the halfway point in the 60-day deal set to negotiate a permanent end to the war and other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Since the war began, 16 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded. Iranian authorities said Sunday that at least 50 people were killed and 517 wounded in the latest US strikes. Iran has not provided general information about its material losses.
Away from the region, the effects of the war on the prices of fuel and other goods have hit some of the world’s most vulnerable areas hard.
–Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press journalist Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo contributed.
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