The U.S. military said on Saturday that two American service members in Jordan were killed in action in Jordan on Friday as U.S. Central Command and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Another service member is missing in action, according to Centcom.
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered military forces to launch new airstrikes, starting at 6 p.m. ET, in order to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz" and "punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night," according to Centcom.
Word of the fatalities come as Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the country has suspended its commitments to the memorandum of understanding signed last month with the U.S. after American forces concluded a seventh straight night of strikes against the country.
"The United States has violated and suspended all of its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding," he said. "We have also suspended our commitments; we are not implementing them and are busy defending our country."
When asked about Iran saying it is no longer abiding by the interim peace agreement, Trump told a NewsNation reporter, "I couldn't care less."
The fragile truce signed by the U.S. and Iran last month continued to unravel amid the latest round of fighting, with both sides trading targeted airstrikes in the region. The interim agreement was intended to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict.
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said that the country has "unforgettable lessons in store" for the U.S.
"Now that the American enemy seeks to ignite war and endure heavier costs, it should know that the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front have #unforgettable_lessons in store for it," the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said in a message from Khamenei on X.
Khamenei said that repeated U.S. attacks have shown that Trump's signature on the memorandum of understanding is "utterly worthless and devoid of credibility."
The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment on the remarks.
U.S. death toll rises to 16 killed in action
The two additional U.S. military service member fatalities in Jordan add to previously confirmed deaths of 14 other service members killed in action since the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, according to MS Now.
Trump, in a telephone interview with a NewsNation reporter, called the deaths of the two service members "very sad, it's a very sad thing."
"We hate to see it happen. It's in service to our country," and he reiterated his pledge that the U.S. is "never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded to the deaths on X: "Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve."
Centcom said earlier in the day the U.S. ended a seventh straight night of strikes against Iran, as Kuwait and Bahrain reported attacks by Iranian projectiles and commercial shipping continued to face disruptions.
"CENTCOM continues to hold Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction while fully enforcing a naval blockade against Iranian ports," it said in a post on X.
Centcom said the attacks, which ended at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday, struck "military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities."
The military also said its forces intercepted several shipping vessels in recent days.
"During the first three days of renewed implementation, U.S. forces have redirected 4 commercial vessels, disabled 1, and boarded 1 to ensure full compliance," Central Command said in a separate statement.
Struggle for the Strait of Hormuz
Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it blocked four vessels as they attempted to move under U.S. protection through the Strait of Hormuz.
"In a coordinated missile and drone operation, all four were halted and immobilized at sea," Iran's IRNA News Agency quoted the IRGC Navy Command as saying in a post on X.
Iran also appeared to continue its attacks on regional targets.
Kuwait said its air defenses were "responding to hostile drone threats."
It also said an Iranian attack on its power and water distillation station caused a fire but no casualties, according to an X post by the Kuwait News Agency. It was the second attack on Kuwait's water facilities in two days.
Kuwait is known to be overwhelmingly dependent on desalination for drinking water, with almost 90% of the arid nation's water demand satisfied through seawater desalination plants.
Kuwait Airways said it rescheduled most of its flights, blaming "hostile missile and drone attacks following the Iranian aggression."
Neighboring Bahrain's government said early Saturday that its air defense systems intercepted several Iranian projectiles and sounded sirens to warn residents.
On Friday, Iran claimed it had targeted U.S. military forces in Syria and Bahrain.
'Winning big in Iran'
Despite the renewed attacks, Trump has insisted the war with Iran is going well, saying Thursday in a primetime address to the American public: "We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly."
The U.S. president had threatened to strike Iran's bridges and power plants in the coming week if the country refused to return to the negotiating table.
Ian Lesser, distinguished fellow at GMF, a Washington-based think tank, said there appears to be a risk of the U.S. and Iran becoming mired in a so-called forever war.
"There's a risk of this, but of course we were in essentially a cold and occasionally hot war with Iran for decades," Lesser told CNBC by video call.
"I think in some sense this is misjudgment by the current administration. But it is also part of a pattern in the American approach to the use of force, that we have enormous capability and enormous operational prowess and we are hobbled by strategic mistakes," he added.
Oil prices were sharply higher on Friday due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East.
International benchmark Brent crude futures with September delivery advanced 4.6% to $88.10 a barrel on Friday, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with August delivery gained 4.5% to settle at $82.49. Both were at their highest since mid-June.
For the week, both benchmarks gained about 16%, with Brent on track for a third consecutive weekly gain and WTI set for its second.
— Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.