The United States announced this Sunday that a third American soldier died in the recent clashes with Iran. The military also located as yet unidentified remains near an Iranian attack in Jordan.
In that attack, which occurred on July 17, two service members were killed and one remains missing. The third soldier died on Saturday, in Iraq, "during the controlled detonation of an unexploded explosive device from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone," according to Central Command.
With this loss, the total number of American deaths has reached 17 since the beginning of the conflict, in February. Also this Sunday, US forces completed the eighth straight night of bombardments against Iranian targets.
The objective, according to Washington, is to retaliate against Tehran and ensure passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The offensive, however, puts at risk the fragile truce signed last month and rekindles fears over oil transportation and the global economy.
The current US president, Donald Trump, ordered the new attacks starting on Saturday night. Asked about Iran's decision to abandon the provisional agreement, he replied to a reporter: "I don't care at all."
Energy Secretary Chris Wright tried to calm the market. "What we are doing is ensuring that oil, gas and other products can flow through the Strait of Hormuz with or without Iran's cooperation," he told ABC News.
Even so, the price of gasoline in the US rose again, with the national average above US$ 3,99 per gallon, according to AAA. In Amman, the American embassy issued a security alert, but Jordan denied any evacuation order for its airport and the port of Aqaba.
On the Iranian side, Deputy Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the rupture: "We have also suspended our commitments; we are not fulfilling them and we are busy defending our country." Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei promised "reserved unforgettable lessons" to the Americans.