Another US Soldier Killed in Iraq as America's Iran War Death Toll Hits 17

US strikes on Iranian military positions have intensified, leading to Iranian retaliatory strikes targeting US ally nations. The US Defense Secretary emphasized that these losses strengthen their commitment

The number of US military personnel killed in the conflict with Iran has risen to 17 after another service member was killed during an operation in northern Iraq, the US military said on Sunday. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the service member was killed on 18 July “during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone”.

A second service member was injured and is receiving treatment for what the military described as a minor injury.

The latest death comes a day after CENTCOM announced that two US service members had been killed during an Iranian missile attack in Jordan on 17 July, while another was reported missing.

In an update on Sunday, CENTCOM said military personnel had found “unidentified remains” at the site of the Jordan attack. “Yesterday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the passing of two U.S. service members and the missing status of one in Jordan following an Iranian attack on July 17. After a thorough search, U.S. military personnel found unidentified remains at the location earlier today. An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing,” the command said in a post on X.

It added: “Separately, a U.S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second service member was wounded and continues to receive medical treatment for a minor injury.”

The latest casualties come amid an escalation in fighting between the United States and Iran, with both sides carrying out attacks on military and critical infrastructure targets.

US officials told The New York Times that additional American warplanes were being deployed to the Middle East. The deployment had been planned before the latest US military deaths.

Earlier on Sunday, the US military said it had carried out strikes on Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps positions it said were responsible for attacks on US forces in Jordan.

Iran responded with strikes targeting Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, countries that host US military forces.

Jordan later evacuated its international airport and the seaport in Aqaba after what the US Embassy described as a “specific and credible threat”.

The Jordanian military said its air defences intercepted three Iranian missiles targeting the country, while a fourth landed in an unpopulated area.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the deaths of the American service members “only stiffens our resolve”.

The US State Department has also warned Americans travelling abroad that tensions in the Middle East have created the “potential for unforeseen escalation.”