US Central Command said on Sunday that a US soldier was killed in Iraq on July 18, bringing the total number of US troops killed in the Iran war in recent days to at least four, including one who is still missing but presumed dead, while US strikes in Iran in recent weeks have killed more than 50 Iranians.
CENTCOM said that a “US service member in northern Iraq was killed in action on July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone.” The command added that a second service member was wounded in the incident and was still receiving medical treatment.
The incident came a day after an Iranian missile strike hit Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq, killing two US soldiers and leaving one missing. While the death of the missing service member hasn’t been officially confirmed, CENTCOM said remains that are likely those of the missing soldier have been found.
“After a thorough search, US military personnel found unidentified remains at the location earlier today. An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing,” the command said. According to the official US count, at least 17 US soldiers have been killed in the Iran war since President Trump launched it with Israel on February 28.
The deaths in Jordan marked the first known US deaths in the war since the US resumed its attacks on Iran several weeks ago. Iran’s Health Ministry said on Sunday that since June 27, US attacks have killed more than 50 Iranians and wounded 517. The ministry said that the fatalities include two children and five women, and that 35 women and 19 children have been wounded.
The strike on the US base in Jordan, which marked at least the fourth Iranian attack on US facilities in the country over five days, came after the US bombed civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges and power stations. The US launched more attacks on Iran on Saturday that it said were to “punish” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for killing US troops, and Iranian forces have continued to hit back at US bases.
