Iran Ceasefire Collapses as U.S. Troops Face Renewed Attacks

Two American servicemen died on Friday when Iranian ballistic missiles struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. A U.S. service member was killed the next day in Iraq during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone.

U.S. service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded since the war began, the Pentagon said. One U.S. soldier remains missing, according to U.S. Central Command. U.S. Army Sgt. Benjamin N. was the seventh U.S. service member to die in combat; his remains were transferred at Dover Air Force Base on March 9.

In Iran, at least 57 people have been killed and more than 517 injured in U.S. attacks in the last three weeks, Iranian health authorities said. The death toll in Iran since the start of the war has surpassed 3,500, with more than 27,000 wounded. The U.S. and Israeli militaries have decimated Iran’s navy and air defenses, eviscerated multiple layers of its leadership, and bombed tens of thousands of targets across the country, Trump administration officials said.

There are now 50,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East, along with 20 naval warships and hundreds of warplanes, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. is sending F-16 fighter jets from Germany and stealthy F-35 jets from Britain to the region.

The Iran ceasefire collapsed in the week before July 20. Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump spoke about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1. He said on NewsNation on Sunday that he “couldn’t care less” about Iran’s announcement that it would no longer abide by the June memorandum of understanding.

““I couldn’t care less about Iran’s announcement that it would no longer abide by the June memorandum of understanding." — President Trump, NewsNation interview Trump has vowed to expand bombings to include civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges. He has said an accord with Iran was on hand no less than 46 times since the start of the war. The 2015 Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran took 600 days and hundreds of diplomats and technical experts to negotiate. During his first term, President Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal and ordered the assassination of Qassem Suleimani.”