At least two U.S. troops were killed at the U.S. military’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on July 17, with the remains of a third unidentified individual found at the same base.
The deaths at the Jordanian air base are the first Iranian-caused fatalities to occur in the war since March.
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Here’s a timeline of all incidents where U.S. troops have been killed during the war with Iran:
March 1: Six troops killed at tactical operation center in Port of Shuaiba in Kuwait, one killed in separate attack in Saudi Arabia
An Iranian drone hit the tactical operations center in Kuwait’s Port of Shuaiba, killing six Americans and injuring more than 20. The attack occurred hours after the war began on Feb. 28.
All six service members killed were reservists from the 103rd Sustainment Command, identified as: Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20; Maj. Jeffrey R. O’Brien, 45; and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54.
The attack was the deadliest on American forces since the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing, which killed 13 troops in Afghanistan.
A soldier injured in the attack told CBS News that he thought the operations center had no fortification.
“I mean, I would put it in the none category. From a drone defense capability … none,” he said.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the tactical operations center was heavily fortified during a March 2 press briefing.
“We have incredible air defenders. Every once in a while, you might have one. Unfortunately, we call it a squirter that makes its way through,” he said. “And in that particular case, it happened to hit a — a tactical operation center. That was — that was fortified. But these are powerful weapons”
A March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia also killed a seventh soldier, who died more than a week after being wounded. The soldier was later identified as 26-year-old Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington.
March 12: Six airmen die in KC-135 refueling crash
All six U.S. airmen aboard a KC-135 refueling aircraft died in a crash in Western Iraq. U.S. Central Command said the crash was an accident unrelated to enemy or friendly fire, with the incident bringing the number of U.S. service member deaths to 13.
KC-135 aircraft are used in refueling missions and can carry up to 83,000 pounds of cargo.
The six troops killed in the refueling accident were identified as Maj. John Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana Savino, 31; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, all three of whom were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing in Florida’s MacDill Air Force Base. Capt. Seth Koval, 38; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, didn’t specify how many troops had been wounded since the war started, but said “most” U.S. casualties were from Iranian attack drones.
July 1: Sailor lost in Arabian Sea after helicopter’s emergency water landing
A Navy pilot was killed in an MH-60S helicopter crash that the Navy originally described as an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea. Though three of the helicopter’s four crew members were recovered, Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards was announced lost at sea on July 7.
The MH-60S helicopter was assigned to USS George H.W. Bush, and the Navy said the search for Edwards lasted more than 102 hours while covering over 14,000 square miles.
The Navy said the incident remains under investigation, adding that there is no indication the incident resulted from hostile action.
July 17: Two troops killed in Iranian attack in Jordan
CENTCOM said Iranian attacks caused the deaths of two service members over the weekend.
1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were both killed while defending against “Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks” on July 17. CENTCOM did not specify what type of attack caused the deaths.
The attack also injured four service members, all of whom have since been discharged from Jordanian hospitals.
CENTCOM said another U.S. service member was killed this past weekend in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian unexploded ordnance that same weekend. The total U.S. service member death toll has now risen to 17.
Notable injuries
There have been several instances of successful Iranian attacks or counterattacks that did not result in U.S. fatalities.
Iranian forces shot down an F-15 fighter aircraft over Iran in April, which set off a dangerous and urgent rescue operation to save both downed pilots. The pilots were ultimately rescued safely.
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The Iranians also shot down an Army Apache helicopter in June over the Strait of Hormuz. Both pilots were also rescued.
As of July 17, the Defense Casualty Analysis System, a publicly available department-run database tracking U.S. military casualties, said 427 service members had been injured during the war. The database does not distinguish by the severity of an injury. The Pentagon has continued to dispute reporting that the agency has failed to disclose dozens of U.S. service members’ injuries publicly following multiple attacks in Jordan that preceded the deadly strike over the weekend.
