Breaking: 17 American Soldiers Reportedly Killed as US-Iran War Escalates
- CENTCOM confirmed a US service member was killed in northern Iraq on July 18 during a controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone
- The Iraq death follows the killing of two American soldiers in Jordan a day earlier, with unidentified remains now found at the site of the third missing soldier
- Iran's Foreign Minister said the war will continue until Tehran gains the upper hand, even as fighting spreads to Kuwait and Bahrain
The United States military has confirmed the death of another service member in northern Iraq, bringing the total number of American soldiers killed in the ongoing conflict with Iran to 17.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Sunday night, July 19, that the soldier died on July 18 "during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone."
Source: Twitter
A second service member sustained a minor injury and is currently receiving medical treatment.
Deaths mount as conflict widens
The Iraq fatality came just a day after two American soldiers were killed and a third reported missing following Iranian retaliatory strikes on a US facility in Jordan on July 17, Premium Times reported.
In its Sunday statement, CENTCOM indicated that a search operation had since located unidentified remains at the Jordan site.
"An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing," the command said, without confirming the missing soldier's identity.
The US military also confirmed it had carried out strikes against Iran for the ninth consecutive night on Sunday, hitting command centres, air defence installations, missile facilities, maritime assets, and communications networks.
Iran responded by launching strikes against US facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan.
Kuwait's armed forces announced on X that their air defences were actively responding to "hostile drone threats," while sirens were activated in Bahrain on Monday morning, July 20, according to that country's Interior Ministry.
Iran signals no imminent end to fighting
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the state news agency IRNA on Sunday that Tehran does not intend to halt hostilities until it achieves a position of strength, Vanguard reported.
"The end of the war is possible either through absolute military victory or through negotiations," he said. "The right time to negotiate is precisely when you have achieved a reliable field and strategic achievement on the military front."
Araghchi acknowledged losses on Iran's side but maintained that the conflict had elevated Iran's standing internationally.
"Despite some losses, we emerged as a decisive international player in this war and demonstrated the strength of the system," he said.
He added that any decision to pause fighting must be based on "accurate and complete calculations."
He further cautioned against rushing into talks, saying that identifying the right moment to transition from combat to negotiation was central to Iran's crisis management approach.
Iran airstrike kills 2 US soldiers, 1 missing
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the United States military confirmed on Saturday, July 18, that two of its service members were killed and one remains missing following a direct Iranian attack on an American base in Jordan, marking the first US troop deaths from Iranian fire since the earliest days of the conflict.
The attack, which took place on Friday, July 17, involved a combination of Iranian ballistic missiles and drone strikes. Four additional service members who sustained injuries were evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and subsequently discharged. The identities of those killed have not been released.
Source: Legit.ng
