US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that 18 American troops have been killed during the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran.
In a post on social media, Trump wrote: “Military conflict with Iran: four months and 18 dead.”
Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two US soldiers were killed and a third was missing in Jordan on Friday while responding to Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.
The US military also announced on Sunday that one American soldier was killed and another suffered minor injuries while disposing of munitions from an Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
The United States has carried out repeated waves of strikes on targets inside Iran in recent days, while Tehran has responded with attacks on military bases, facilities and other sites it says are linked to Washington across the region, including in northern Iraq.
The escalation comes despite Washington and Tehran signing a memorandum of understanding in June that included a ceasefire in the fighting, which began on 28 February, and the launch of negotiations aimed at reaching a broader agreement.
However, Trump announced on 8 July that the ceasefire had ended after attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington accused Tehran of being behind. The United States then resumed strikes inside Iran, prompting an intensifying Iranian military response across the region.
