Two US troops killed in Jordan as Iran conflict widens to new fronts

Two US service members were killed in Jordan as Iranian missile and drone strikes hit American military facilities, widening the Iran-US conflict beyond its original battlegrounds and drawing neighboring allies deeper into the fighting.

The deaths, confirmed by US Central Command, occurred as CENTCOM and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. One additional US service member is listed as missing in action. The attack struck at least two Jordanian bases used by US forces, according to multiple US officials cited by CBS News, with several other American service members injured.

"The United States must wait for expanded waves of missile and drone attacks," Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said in a warning that Tehran could abandon limited retaliation and move into an "offensive and destructive" phase if US operations continue for another two or three days.

Jordan's Armed Forces said its air defense systems intercepted 10 Iranian missiles targeting the kingdom early Saturday, with Royal Engineering Corps teams deployed to collect debris across different parts of the country. The escalation marks one of the clearest signs that the renewed conflict is pushing US allies deeper into the fighting, with Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq also reporting Iranian strikes on their territory. Kuwait suffered the most significant damage, with a water desalination plant and an oil facility hit, forcing several power generation units offline in a nation that depends on desalination for 90% of its drinking water.

The widening conflict has killed at least 14 US service members and wounded 427 since the war began, US officials acknowledged. Iran's Health Ministry reported at least 50 people killed and more than 500 wounded in US strikes over the past three weeks, including damage to bridges, power facilities and a desalination plant in Hormozgan province that cut off water supplies to about 10,000 people. US Central Command said its seventh straight night of strikes hit "surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities."

Strait of Hormuz Disruption Threatens Global Energy Flows

The battle over the Strait of Hormuz has intensified as the conflict increasingly focuses on control of the waterway that previously carried a fifth of the world's crude oil. Iran effectively closed the strait to shipping traffic after the war started with US and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, sending oil prices soaring and giving Tehran significant leverage in any negotiations. The US has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to halt crude oil shipments, while Iranian forces separately targeted a Thai-flagged vessel attempting to cross the waterway without permission.

The last time a major military conflict disrupted Strait of Hormuz transit was during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, when the Tanker War period saw crude prices spike more than 50% over six months. The current closure has already reduced crossings to a three-week low, according to an international shipping tracker, with the global economy again on alert for supply disruptions. Before the war began, the waterway handled about 21% of global petroleum consumption, making any prolonged closure a direct threat to energy prices worldwide.

Iran Suspends Interim Deal as Diplomatic Path Falters

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, told state TV that Tehran had suspended its commitments under the interim deal signed with the US about a month ago through Pakistan-mediated talks, accusing Washington of violating the agreement. The diplomatic breakdown removes one of the few remaining guardrails against further escalation, with no new mediation efforts announced.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for striking the Azraq Air Base in Jordan, which hosts US troops and aircraft, as well as facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. The IRGC warned that continued attacks on Iranian transport networks could trigger strikes against industrial and technology assets linked to US companies in countries hosting American bases. Tehran has also claimed operations against US assets in Qatar, Oman, Syria and the northern Indian Ocean, though CENTCOM rejected the account of captured American personnel in Syria.

The widening theater of operations and the collapse of diplomatic guardrails suggest the conflict could enter a more destructive phase, with Rezaei's warning that "no political border will provide security against Iran's offensive forces" signaling Tehran's readiness to expand its targeting beyond military installations.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.