US-Iran conflict widens as Jordan downs missiles and another US soldier dies

Dubai,UPDATED: Jul 20, 2026 01:30 IST

The United States on Sunday reported another service member had died and said it had carried out more airstrikes on Iran, while Iran fired missiles towards Jordan, raising the risk of the conflict spreading further in the region.

The latest exchanges have pushed Washington and Tehran closer to all-out war after last month’s interim deal to permanently end the fighting fell apart. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled, and both sides have struck civilian infrastructure used by millions of people.

The US military said the service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday during the "controlled detonation" of a downed Iranian drone. Earlier, it had said its strikes targeted Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the killing of troops in Jordan on Friday. One service member was missing after that attack, and the military said on Sunday that "unidentified remains" had been found and were being examined. Since the war began, 17 US service members have been killed.

The renewed exchanges, now in their second week, have seen the US target bridges, water desalination plants and electrical facilities in Iran. Tehran, in turn, has struck US-allied countries across the Middle East. Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain again activated air defences against incoming Iranian drones and missiles, while Israel warned that missiles launched towards neighbouring Jordan could spill over into Israeli territory for the first time in weeks.

The US military’s Central Command said it struck "Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities and missile and drone storage sites". It said the operation was meant to weaken Iran’s ability to control the strait and to "swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces", which form a key part of Iran’s ruling system and control its ballistic missile arsenal.

Footage released by the US military appeared to show strikes by fighter jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from the sea. One target appeared to be in a valley in a mountainous region, where the Guard often places missile bases and other military equipment. Iran’s atomic energy agency later said US strikes had hit the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant in the southwest, according to state television.

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the Darkhovin nuclear plant site showed earth clearing but little construction as of July 9. Iran had not previously announced that the site had been targeted. The Atomic Energy Agency said the site, in the "very early stages of construction", had no nuclear material when the UN watchdog last visited.

Jordan’s military said it shot down several Iranian missiles and that there were no casualties or damage. The country, which hosts major US bases and relies on US air-defence systems, later summoned Iran’s charg d’affaires in protest, state-run television reported. Israel’s military said Iranian missiles launched towards the Jordanian port city of Aqaba could spill over, and warned Israelis to expect the first air-raid sirens in weeks. Eilat, the Israeli city next to Aqaba, said, citing security officials, that two interceptors were launched from its outskirts to prevent debris from falling.

During the latest fighting, Iran has focused its attacks on US-allied Arab states rather than Israel, which launched the war with the US on February 28. "We are prepared to immediately resume combat," Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said. Kuwait said one of its power and water desalination plants was attacked for the second time in two days, causing fires. Its Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said the power grid remained stable. In Kuwait, about 90 per cent of drinking water comes from desalination.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power stations and bridges in an effort to force Tehran to loosen its hold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil supplies moved before the war. Recent attacks suggest the US military is carrying out that plan. The US last week reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to stop its crude oil shipments, and the military said on Saturday it had redirected five ships and disabled one since then.

A maritime organisation overseen by the US Navy said on Sunday that the threat to mariners was severe after earlier Iranian attacks, and that "deliberate hostile action" was considered highly likely. It said traffic remained low, with eight transits on Saturday and three on Friday, against a daily average of almost 140 before the war. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Saturday of "unforgettable lessons" if the US continued attacking the Islamic Republic, while an Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal and accused Washington of violating it. The latest strikes, missile launches and threats marked another escalation in a conflict that has widened across the region.

With PTI Inputs

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