Iran live updates: Pentagon releases names of 2 service members killed in Jordan

 Iran live updates: Pentagon releases names of 2 service members killed in Jordan

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.

Key Headlines

Rubio says 'growing split' in Iran interfering with diplomacy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Iran is continuing to send messages "directly and through multiple channels with other countries," indicating it was willing to negotiate, and that the U.S. remains open to diplomacy -- but he noted that a "growing split" in Iran’s system complicates that.

"So, they’ll have to work out that split internally. We’re going to continue to respond," he said.

Rubio said the current military mission is solely focused on responding to Iran’s attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.

"The only reason why the U.S. is conducting strikes is against assets of Iran that are being used to attack global commercial shipping," Rubio said. "Other countries should join us in this effort, but the United States is involved not just in protecting those ships but in targeting the places that they use to launch these missiles and drones."

Rubio also spoke about the service members killed.

"The mission they carry out is very, very dangerous," he said. "Our hearts go out to the families of the heroes that paid the ultimate price."

-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston

Trump says US hit Iran 'hard' in honor of service members killed

President Donald Trump said the U.S. hit Iran "hard" in honor of the U.S. service members who were killed by Iran over the weekend.

U.S. Central Command said two service members were killed in an attack on Jordan on Friday, and that a third service member remained missing. Another service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday, CENTCOM said.

Trump said on Sunday the U.S. lost "great patriots," but said the mission of ending Iran's nuclear capabilities would carry on -- claiming that U.S. forces started another wave of attacks against Iran "in honor" of the service members lost.

"Well, we feel very badly, but you know those great people, those great patriots, were out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Iran has been very, very badly damaged," Trump told reporters after flying back from the World Cup final in New Jersey.

"We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of the probably three -- It's probably three as opposed to two. Great patriots," Trump said.

-ABC News' Devin Garbitt and Isabella Murray

Iran ready to face the US, Ghalibaf says

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and the leader of Tehran's peace talks delegation, said in a statement posted on social media on Monday that "Americans keep bringing new military equipment to the region and claim they're after stopping the war."

Iran, Ghalibaf added, is ready to face the U.S.

"We've reached the stage of mastery in recognizing these American games, and on that basis, we've prepared ourselves. Actions must confirm claims, not contradict them," he wrote.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

5:07 AM CST

Pentagon releases names of 2 service members killed in Jordan attack

The Pentagon on Monday identified two soldiers killed in Friday's Iranian missile and drone attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Among them was Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, the Pentagon said. Gonzales was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air Missile Defense Command, Ansbach, Germany.

UKMTO says ship on fire in Strait of Hormuz after attack

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that a vessel was on fire in the southern route area of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning, near Oman's coast.

The vessel "was struck by an unknown projectile," the UKMTO said in its report. "The crew safely abandoned the vessel and have been recovered by a tug boat. The fire has not been extinguished and the vessel is currently adrift. There is no reported environmental impact."

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

3:12 AM CST

US will 'face the consequences' of any Kharg Island operation, Iran official says

The U.S. will "face the consequences" if it launches any ground operation to seize Iran's Kharg Island, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, during his weekly press conference.

Asked about President Donald Trump's threats to seize the strategically-located island in the northern Persian Gulf, Baghaei said there are people in Iran who are "counting down the minutes to welcome" U.S. forces.

Baghaei told reporters that Iran's implementation of the memorandum of understanding with the U.S. "became practically impossible" as a result of the recent resumption in fighting.

Asked whether the MOU was now void, Baghaei said, "An understanding or agreement has value and validity as long as its parties adhere to their obligations; otherwise, it will be nothing more than a document on paper."

Iran live updates: Pentagon releases names of 2 service members killed in Jordan

 

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.

Key Headlines

Pentagon releases names of 2 service members killed in Jordan attack

The Pentagon on Monday identified two soldiers killed in Friday's Iranian missile and drone attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Among them was Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, the Pentagon said. Gonzales was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air Missile Defense Command, Ansbach, Germany.

1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, died on July 18, from wounds sustained in the attack the day before. Feehan was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the Pentagon said.

A third U.S. service member remains missing following the attack. U.S. Central Command, which oversees troops in the Middle East, said human remains recovered at the scene are undergoing identification.

Separately, another U.S. service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday in an incident involving the disposal of a downed Iranian drone, according to CENTCOM.

The Pentagon typically withholds the identities of deceased troops until at least 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.

-ABC News’ Steven Beynon

1 hour and 56 minutes ago

UKMTO says ship on fire in Strait of Hormuz after attack

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that a vessel was on fire in the southern route area of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday morning, near Oman's coast.

The vessel "was struck by an unknown projectile," the UKMTO said in its report. "The crew safely abandoned the vessel and have been recovered by a tug boat. The fire has not been extinguished and the vessel is currently adrift. There is no reported environmental impact."

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

US will 'face the consequences' of any Kharg Island operation, Iran official says

The U.S. will "face the consequences" if it launches any ground operation to seize Iran's Kharg Island, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, during his weekly press conference.

Asked about President Donald Trump's threats to seize the strategically-located island in the northern Persian Gulf, Baghaei said there are people in Iran who are "counting down the minutes to welcome" U.S. forces.

Baghaei told reporters that Iran's implementation of the memorandum of understanding with the U.S. "became practically impossible" as a result of the recent resumption in fighting.

Asked whether the MOU was now void, Baghaei said, "An understanding or agreement has value and validity as long as its parties adhere to their obligations; otherwise, it will be nothing more than a document on paper."

"This agreement was formed on the basis of mutual obligations, and with its violation by the United States, its implementation by Iran became practically impossible," Baghaei added.

Asked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on Sunday that the U.S. was open to diplomacy with Iran, Baghaei said Iran does not believe the U.S. is negotiating in good faith.

"When the US talks about diplomacy, it means imposition, intimidation, threats and sanctions, and certainly as long as they are in this space and seek to impose their demands on the Iranian nation, our response will definitely be to defend Iran's dignity and national sovereignty," Baghaei said.

"The guarantee of implementing any treaty and agreement is the power of the parties, and we are determined to make this tool more powerful day by day," he added.

Baghaei also repeated Tehran's long-time assertion that Iran is "determined to take the necessary measures to exercise our sovereignty and to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is not abused to harm our interests."

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Iran FM says war must end when Tehran has 'upper hand'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the IRNA state news agency in an interview on Monday that the war with the U.S. "must be ended exactly at the point where you have the upper hand in the field."

"The end of the war is possible either through absolute military victory or through negotiations," Araghchi said.

"The right time to negotiate is precisely when you have achieved a reliable field and strategic achievement on the military front," he added. "A politician must always ask this fundamental question: will continuing the war increase the achievements or the losses?"

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

3 hours and 58 minutes ago

US strikes hit 9 Iranian cities overnight, state media says

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported U.S. strikes on at least nine towns and cities overnight.

Bushehr, Tabriz, Urmia, Bandar Imam Khomeini, Jask, Sirik, Mahshahr, Chabahar and Konarak were attacked in the latest wave of American attacks, IRNA said.

IRAN quoted local officials as saying that at least one person was killed and several people injured in strikes on Tabriz.

Kuwait and Bahrain report fresh Iranian attacks

The Kuwaiti Army issued a statement on Monday saying its air defenses "are currently confronting attacks by hostile drones," again condemning "Iranian aggression."

In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said that its air raid sirens were sounded at least twice on Monday morning. The Bahrain Defence Force later confirmed fresh Iranian attacks on the kingdom.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Jul 19, 2026, 8:20 PM CST

Fighter jets based in United Kingdom and Germany sent to Middle East

A U.S. official told ABC News that U.S. fighter jets stationed in the United Kingdom and Germany are being sent to the Middle East.

They include F-16’s stationed in Germany and F-35 fighters stationed in the U.K., according to the official.

Air & Space Forces Magazine was first to report the deployment of additional fighters to the Middle East.

There are currently 50,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Jul 19, 2026, 5:34 PM CST

US forces strike Iran for 9th consecutive night

United States forces conducted another wave of attacks against Iran Sunday evening, marking the ninth consecutive night of strikes, according to U.S. Central Command.

"The strikes will continue degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said.

Strikes targeted "Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks," in an effort to weaken Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM said. 

Jul 19, 2026, 3:07 PM CST

US service member killed, another wounded, CENTCOM says

A U.S. service member was killed and another wounded Saturday during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) called "a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone" in northern Iraq.

The wounded service member's injury was "minor," according to CENTCOM.

Saturday's death brings to 17 the total number of U.S. service members who have been killed since the war in Iran began.

CENTCOM also released an update on the U.S. service member who was reported missing on Friday.

"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," CENTCOM said.

-ABC News' Steven Beynon