Iranian missiles show deadly precision amid US-Iran war escalation

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on July 22, 2026, that an Iranian strike on a US military site in Jordan killed three US soldiers, marking the first US troop deaths attributed to Iranian attacks on American installations since March 1, shortly after the US and Israel began their war against Iran. The report said the incident has sharpened scrutiny of Washington’s claims that Iranian military power has been severely degraded.

Analysts cited by Al Jazeera said Iran still appears able to use missiles and drones effectively against fixed US bases across the Middle East and Gulf. Andreas Krieg of King’s College London said many US personnel are stationed at exposed facilities built mainly for threats such as rockets, mortars and improvised explosive devices, rather than precision ballistic missiles. Other analysts pointed to saturation tactics, decoys and varied missile trajectories as factors that can strain Patriot and THAAD defences.

The report said the official US military death toll in the war stands at 18, including seven soldiers killed in March strikes in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, while about 500 US soldiers have been wounded. Al Jazeera also cited damage or destruction to roughly 220 US military structures, equipment items or buildings since the July 8 breakdown of a ceasefire. Iran’s military said it recently targeted aircraft and drone-related facilities at Jordanian bases, while CENTCOM said US forces struck Iranian military, maritime, drone and logistics sites.

The article also described questioning in the US Senate of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who defended earlier assertions that Iran’s military had been made ineffective but acknowledged Iran retained some capacity to fire. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said Iran’s lower-cost missile and drone arsenal could allow it to keep imposing losses despite US military superiority.