Iranian attack kills U.S. service member in Iraq

A U.S. service member was killed in northern Iraq on July 18 as a result of an Iranian attack, the U.S. military said.

The incident came a day after two U.S. service members were killed and another was reported missing following an attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the service member in Iraq was killed during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian attack drone. Another service member was injured.

The United States and Iran have now exchanged strikes for an eighth consecutive day, further escalating military tensions.

In recent days, both sides have accused each other of attacking critical infrastructure. Washington has reinstated its blockade of Iranian ports, while Tehran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and launched strikes against U.S. allies in the region. A ceasefire agreement between the two sides has effectively collapsed.

According to the U.S. military, the latest strikes were intended to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz" and to "swiftly hold accountable" forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that Washington says were responsible for the attack in Jordan.

The death brings the number of U.S. service members killed since the start of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran to 17.

According to Iran's Health Ministry, at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in U.S. strikes across the country over the past three weeks.