"To 'honor' fallen Americans"/ US strikes Iran for ninth consecutive night

2026-07-20 08:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"To 'honor' fallen Americans"/ US strikes Iran for ninth

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said it has attacked Iran for the ninth consecutive night, with the aim of weakening Tehran's ability to strike ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said the attacks were carried out in honor of Americans killed during operations in recent days.

"We hit them very hard tonight, and we did it in honor of - probably - three great patriots," Trump told reporters.

He said he was very sorry for the American soldiers who lost their lives, adding that they fell fighting to ensure "Iran does not have nuclear weapons."

He made these comments while returning to Washington after watching the World Cup final in New Jersey.

CENTCOM announced, meanwhile, that US forces "launched a new wave of attacks on Iran for the ninth consecutive night."

According to the US command, the attacks are aimed at weakening Iran's military capabilities used to attack commercial ships and civilian sailors passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM earlier reported the first casualties among US forces since the escalation of the war with Iran in March.

According to the announcement, two American soldiers were killed on July 17, while the third was reported missing while defending against an Iranian missile and drone attack, at an undisclosed location in Jordan.

Later, the US military said that unidentified remains were found at the scene, raising the possibility that a third soldier may have also died.

On July 19, CENTCOM said another American soldier was killed in Iraq as a result of an explosive device from a downed Iranian drone.

Another soldier was slightly injured and continues to receive medical treatment.

Iran, on the other hand, continued its attacks, striking several of the United States' Arab allies in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for the American airstrikes.

The Israeli military told AFP that Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile, which was targeting the Jordanian city of Aqaba.

The Jordanian military said it had shot down "three Iranian missiles aimed at the kingdom's territory," but did not indicate which areas were targeted.

Kuwait also announced that Iran had struck a power and water supply plant, causing a fire.

This was the third attack on such a facility in Kuwait in three days. Authorities said a day earlier that an oil facility had also been hit. /REL