Trump says death of two US soldiers a 'shame' but Iran mission is still critical
Both sides have intensified attacks since an interim ceasefire deal signed a month ago fell apart last week, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war
Donald Trump has defended the war with Iran as the US military said it has launched new airstrikes against Iran to "swiftly punish" the country's Revolutionary Guard after two American service members were killed in Jordan.
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Trump called the deaths "a shame" but said the mission is still critical.
"They did it because they don't want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon," the US president said of the troops.
"And it just shows you how bad [the Iranians] are."
The U.S. said it had completed an eighth straight night of attacks against Iran after earlier announcing that two U.S. military personnel were killed in Jordan and another was missing following an Iranian attack.
Both sides have intensified attacks since an interim ceasefire deal signed a month ago fell apart last week, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war.
"The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night," Central Command said.
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CENTCOM later said it had completed its wave of attacks, hitting Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities.
Iran's Mehr news agency said the U.S. carried out an attack near Sirik in southern Iran, adding that no casualties or damage to infrastructure have been reported.
The Tasnim news agency said the U.S. military also targeted a location near Shadegan, close to the border with Iraq.
The Iranian army then carried out a drone attack that targeted U.S. military assets and equipment at Kuwait's Al-Adiri camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base, Iran's state TV reported early Sunday, citing a statement from the army.
Both bases were targeted as part of Iran's attacks against U.S. assets and allies in the Gulf since last week.
Central Command said the two deaths occurred on Friday and that a third U.S. service member was missing in action.
The announcement brought the number of U.S. service members killed since the war began to 16, while more than 420 have been wounded.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: "Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve."
Iran appeared to target Saudi Arabia as well as other U.S. Gulf allies and Jordan on Saturday after U.S. attacks on Iranian bridges, power facilities and other infrastructure.
In a written statement carried by the official social media accounts of Iran's supreme leader and Iranian state media, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said U.S. actions have shown that Trump's signature was "utterly worthless and devoid of credibility."
The statement warned of "even heavier costs and further humiliation" for the United States.
The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.