U.S. forces conducted their eighth consecutive night of airstrikes against Iranian military infrastructure late Saturday, targeting coastal surveillance, air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.
These strikes are intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities, U.S. Central Command announced on X. Fighter jets and missiles were launched from aircraft carriers and destroyers, with explosions observed in mountainous regions of Iran, according to video released by CENTCOM. "More than 50,000 U.S. men and women in uniform are operating across the Middle East. They remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready," a statement from the command read.
The strikes, which began at 6 p.m. and concluded around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, were aimed at punishing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces responsible for recent attacks. The ongoing strikes follow a wave of Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks that killed two U.S. servicemembers at Muwawffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, leaving a third unaccounted for. Four other servicemembers were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals but have since been discharged.
President Trump commented on the deaths, calling them "a shame" but asserting the importance of the ongoing mission. "They did it because they don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said, referencing the troops. "And it just shows you how bad [the Iranians] are."
Following the fatal attack in Jordan, U.S. forces specifically targeted IRGC units believed to have launched the strikes. The two servicemembers killed Friday represent the first U.S. fatalities since President Trump declared a cease-fire with Iran "over" the previous week, after Tehran targeted three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Under a prior U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, Iran was expected to reopen the strait.