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ARCHIVE – The Qatari Armed Forces repel a missile attack. Photo: Stringer/dpa
Keystone
Following the deaths of two U.S. soldiers as a result of Iranian shelling and the U.S. bombings in Iran that lasted all night, both sides are vowing revenge—raising the threat of a dangerous spiral of escalation.
The U.S. military launched new airstrikes overnight, according to a statement by the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on X. Among other things, the strikes were intended to “swiftly punish” the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which had carried out attacks on American soldiers in Jordan the previous night.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had previously threatened retaliatory actions. Khamenei, who has never appeared in public, issued a statement saying: “Since the American enemy is now bent on warmongering, incurring even heavier costs, and suffering even greater disgrace, let it know that the beloved Iranian people and the resistance front have unforgettable lessons in store for it,” the statement said.
It was the first time since the early days of the war with Iran—which the U.S. and Israel had launched together on February 28—that the U.S. military had reported casualties from Iranian fire. Centcom reported that the two soldiers were killed on Friday in Jordan while U.S. forces and allies were defending themselves against Iranian missile and drone attacks. Another soldier is still missing. This brings the officially recognized number of U.S. soldiers killed in the war against Iran to 16.
The *Wall Street Journal* quoted U.S. officials as saying that Iran has adapted to U.S. defense systems and is launching missiles that fly at extremely high speeds and can maneuver during their descent. Iran’s ability to strike sensitive targets is fueling fears that Tehran is receiving assistance from China or Russia in targeting these sites.
The pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump—who is already facing discontent at home over the war, which is unpopular there—is likely to increase further with the deaths of the U.S. soldiers. The U.S. broadcaster NewsNation quoted him, following a discussion about the deaths, as saying that this was “a very sad thing.” “We don’t like to see this,” he said, reiterating once again that Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.
According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, at least 50 people have died in Iran since the latest escalation with the U.S. More than 500 others were reportedly injured in the latest attacks by the U.S. military. The government in Tehran generally reports only on civilian casualties. There are no official figures on casualties among its own armed forces.
Meanwhile, the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, reported early this morning local time that at least six missiles had struck areas on the outskirts of Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. According to the report, no further details were available at that time.
The U.S. military had previously stated that another objective of the new attacks was to further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for global trade in oil, gas, and fertilizer. According to the Fars News Agency, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kasem Gharibabadi said that Iran had suspended the framework agreement reached with the U.S. in mid-June and no longer considered itself bound by it. According to NewsNation, Trump said he “couldn’t care less” about this.
The agreement called for negotiating a final deal to end the war within 60 days. It also called for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened. A ceasefire had been in effect since early April, but Trump himself recently declared it over. The situation has been escalating again since early July.
The United Arab Emirates is calling for “an immediate end to hostilities and a swift return to the negotiating table.” Without specifically mentioning the U.S. and Iran, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the platform X for an “immediate halt to the escalation” and urged extreme restraint “to prevent dangerous consequences and the region from sliding into a new level of violence and instability”.
Israeli Iran expert Danny Citrinowicz wrote on X that it is becoming increasingly clear “that events are gradually spiraling out of control.” Given the virtually nonexistent trust between Washington and Tehran, the increasingly exhausted mediators, and a dialogue conducted primarily through military strikes, “the risk of further escalation is now greater than the prospects for de-escalation.”
The combination of Trump’s actions and Tehran’s show of force during the funeral of the slain head of state, Ali Khamenei, appears to have reinforced the conviction among key figures in the Revolutionary Guards that they not only have sufficient domestic political backing but also have little choice but to than to escalate their response to the U.S. attacks, Citrinowicz wrote.
Under these circumstances, it will be extremely difficult to “keep the spiral of escalation under control,” the expert wrote, warning that the conflict could escalate and draw the Gulf states—which are allied with Washington—even more directly into it. Unless something significant changes soon, the conflict is heading toward a “far more dangerous phase” that could become increasingly difficult for both sides to contain.
19.07.2026, 05:13
