U.S. says it targeted Iranian forces after attacks that killed two American service members
Centcom says it hit Iran's coastal surveillance and air defense facilities a day after two U.S. troops were killed in an Iranian strike on Jordan.
Centcom says it hit Iran's coastal surveillance and air defense facilities a day after two U.S. troops were killed in an Iranian strike on Jordan.
The U.S. said on Sunday it targeted Iranian forces that struck Jordan last week, an attack by Iran that left two American service members dead and one missing.
The developments over the weekend further jeopardized last month's fragile truce between the two sides, potentially raising fresh concerns over oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said it completed an eighth straight night of strikes against Iranian targets.
"CENTCOM forces successfully hit Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities," it said in a post on X.
"American military assets also targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that launched attacks against U.S. service members in Jordan on July 17," it added.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Jordan's capital, Amman, issued a security alert Sunday, saying Jordanian authorities evacuated the international airport and seaport in Aqaba "due to a specific and credible threat" without elaborating.
However, Jordan reportedly denied issuing any decision to evacuate the facilities.
"No potential threats have been recorded by the relevant Jordanian authorities in the past few hours," Reuters quoted government spokesperson Mohammad Al-Momani as saying in a written statement. "The airport and port are operating normally."
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered military forces to launch new airstrikes, starting late Saturday, in order to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz" and "punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night," according to Centcom .
Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday sought to allay concerns that the renewed fighting will again close the Strait of Hormuz and spike energy prices.
"The seven-day trailing average right now is just under seven million barrels a day flowing through the waterway, and just under seven million barrels a day additional flow through the bypass pipelines," Wright said during an appearance on ABC News' "This Week." "What we're doing is assuring that oil and gas and other products can flow through the Strait of Hormuz with or without Iranian cooperation."
Pressed on recent data that showed slowing traffic in the strait, Wright said: "Almost all the public data I've seen is incorrect." Research firm Kpler said on Friday that crossings in the strait on Thursday had decreased to 8 vessels.
Meanwhile, U.S. gas prices are on the rise again. The national average for gas per gallon was over $3.99 on Sunday, according to AAA , up from over $3.87 a week ago.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Saturday the country has suspended its commitments to the memorandum of understanding signed last month with the U.S.
"The United States has violated and suspended all of its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding," he said. "We have also suspended our commitments; we are not implementing them and are busy defending our country."
When asked about Iran saying it is no longer abiding by the interim peace agreement, Trump told a NewsNation reporter , "I couldn't care less."
The memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran last month continued to unravel amid the latest round of fighting , with both sides trading targeted airstrikes in the region. The interim agreement was intended to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict.
