US military death toll in Iran war rises to 16 after two troops killed in Jordan

The US military said on Saturday that two additional service members were killed while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan, taking the total number of American military deaths in the Iran conflict to 16. US Central Command (CENTCOM) also said one US service member is "currently" missing following the attack.The latest deaths come as the conflict continues to be fought largely through drones, missiles and air strikes, exposing US forces stationed across the Middle East to Iranian retaliation despite the absence of large-scale ground combat. American troops deployed across the region have increasingly become targets as fighting escalated following the collapse of peace talks.President Donald Trump has said the war is necessary to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. As of Saturday afternoon, he had not issued a statement on the latest casualties. The White House instead circulated the statement released by US Central Command.The first US fatalities occurred shortly after the war began on February 28, when an Iranian drone strike on a civilian port in Kuwait killed six American soldiers. The troops, from a supply and logistics unit based in Iowa, were working in a shipping container-style building that had no defences.A seventh soldier died more than a week after sustaining injuries during an Iranian attack on Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base on March 1.Later in March, six more US service members were killed when a KC-135 refuelling aircraft supporting military operations against Iran crashed in Iraq. The aircraft was flying in "friendly" airspace when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft occurred, according to CENTCOM.On Monday, the US military also announced that a Navy pilot died in a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea. The Navy had initially described the July 1 incident as an emergency landing and said there was "no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action." The three other sailors on board were rescued.CENTCOM said it was withholding further details, including the identities of the two service members killed in Jordan, until 24 hours after their families had been notified.The conflict has also claimed heavy casualties beyond the US military. Iranian authorities said at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in US strikes over the past three weeks, including eight people killed in a strike on a bridge on Friday.The war has also killed civilians and foreign workers across the region, including people working aboard ships and others in Gulf countries, Israel and Lebanon.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.