The United States and Iran are edging closer to all-out war following the collapse of an interim ceasefire deal intended to end the fighting. The deadlock over a memorandum of understanding regarding the Strait of Hormuz has led to an escalating cycle of retaliation, with Washington launching a ninth consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran.
U.S. military fatalities have risen to 17 in the ongoing conflict, with three service members killed in recent days. Two troops were killed during Iranian attacks on a base in Jordan, where one soldier remains missing. A third service member died in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian attack drone. President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. is hitting Iran very hard to honor these fallen service members.
U.S. Central Command has targeted Iran's Revolutionary Guard, hitting coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, as well as locations in the northwestern city of Tabriz and the Hormozgan province. These strikes are part of a week-long campaign to destroy Tehran's ability to disrupt shipping and to force the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. assets and allies in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and a command center in Syria. Reports indicate that tankers have exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, causing shipping traffic to largely stall and driving the price of Brent crude oil above $90 a barrel. Jordan has summoned Iran's top envoy in protest of the attacks on its territory, while Israel has warned that the conflict could spill over its borders.