The United States and Iran are exchanging military strikes following an attack in Jordan that killed two American service members.

The two troops were killed in an Iranian missile attack on a position in Jordan. One additional service member was reported missing. In response, the US military said it targeted Iranian forces, and it has since carried out a series of strikes over several consecutive nights, describing a seventh straight night of operations. Those strikes have hit Iranian energy sites, water and infrastructure targets, and bridges.

Iran has struck back beyond the immediate battlefield. Attacks on US Gulf allies caused damage in Kuwait, including a fire at a power plant and other infrastructure damage. Much of the exchange has centered on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a large share of the world's oil passes and over which the two governments have struggled.

Iran's supreme leader accused President Donald Trump of violating an existing agreement and vowed a forceful response. Iranian officials warned of a wider war if American strikes continue, saying that "no political border" would be considered safe. The Trump administration has framed its campaign as an effort to pressure Iran's government by targeting its infrastructure.

Inside Iran, the escalation has exposed divisions. Some of the country's most hard-line factions have accused wartime leaders of seeking to negotiate an exit from the conflict, describing such efforts as a soft "coup," and have pushed for the fighting to continue. Residents have reported growing strain as the strikes persist.

The two countries had moved toward confrontation over a period of mounting tensions, a trajectory that traces back through earlier disputes and stalled diplomacy. Amid the exchanges, there have also been indications of movement in the other direction: reporting on progress toward a possible peace agreement, and an account that Trump called off a planned round of strikes.

The conflict has drawn domestic scrutiny in the United States. Polling cited in coverage of the war indicates it is among the least popular US military engagements since such surveys began. Some commentary has called on the administration to provide a fuller public explanation of its aims and decisions.

As of the latest reporting, the strikes and counterstrikes were continuing, with the status of the missing service member unresolved and the diplomatic track uncertain.

References

1. 1.News coverage of the Jordan attack — deaths of two US service members and one missing
2. 2.News coverage of US operations — strikes on Iranian energy, water, infrastructure, and bridges over consecutive nights
3. 3.News coverage of Iranian retaliation — damage in Kuwait including a power plant fire
4. 4.News coverage of the Strait of Hormuz — centrality of the waterway to the exchange
5. 5.Statements attributed to Iran's supreme leader and officials — accusation of a violated agreement and warnings of a wider war
6. 6.Trump administration statements — framing of the campaign as pressure on Iran's government
7. 7.News coverage of internal Iranian divisions — hard-line factions' 'coup' accusations against wartime leaders
8. 8.News coverage of diplomacy — reporting on a possible peace agreement and a called-off round of strikes
9. 9.Polling cited in war coverage — relative unpopularity of the engagement