Trump warns Iran will pay 'many times over' for deaths of US soldiers

What the report says

BBC World News reported that President Donald Trump warned Iran would pay “many times over” for the deaths of US service members, as US-Iran fighting continued for a ninth straight night. Speaking on Monday, Trump said the latest American strikes against Iran were carried out in honour of three recently killed US soldiers: two in Jordan and one in Iraq.

According to the BBC, the US military said its latest strikes targeted Iranian military and communications facilities, with the stated aim of reducing Iran’s ability to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials said they had struck sites in Bahrain and Syria and targeted US aircraft in Jordan. President Masoud Pezeshkian described Iran as being in a “full-scale war” with the United States, while Tehran also said messages were still being passed through intermediaries despite the breakdown of a ceasefire.

Regional forces reported further spillover. Jordan’s military said it downed three Iranian missiles after air-raid sirens sounded, Kuwait said it intercepted Iranian drones, and Bahrain said Iranian drones targeted air navigation systems without disrupting traffic. Iranian media reported strikes on several cities, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain unsafe for oil and gas transit if US attacks continued. US Central Command disputed Iranian claims that two tankers exploded while crossing the strait.

The escalation follows confirmed US military deaths in attacks in northern Iraq and Jordan. The Pentagon identified the two soldiers killed in Jordan as Pte Isabella Gonzales, 19, and Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained open to diplomacy, but also framed control of the Strait of Hormuz as an international concern.