The United States Army confirmed on Saturday that two service members on duty in Jordan were killed in combat on Friday. The casualties occurred during Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks against American positions.
According to Central Command (Centcom), a third service member is still missing in action. The episode raised the total number of American combat casualties to 16 since the beginning of the conflict, on February 28.
Trump orders new attacks
In response, the current U.S. president, Donald Trump, authorized a new round of airstrikes starting at 18h Eastern time. The offensive would aim to "reduce Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz" and "punish the Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces that launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night."
Asked about the end of the truce, Trump reacted with indifference: "I don't care at all."
Iran abandons the peace agreement
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi announced that Tehran had broken the memorandum of understanding signed the previous month. The decision came after the seventh consecutive night of American bombings.
"The United States violated and suspended all of its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding," he said. "We also suspended our commitments; we are not complying with them and we are busy defending our country."
Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei escalated the tone and promised retaliation. According to the state broadcaster, posted on X, the nation and the Resistance Front have "#unforgettable_lessons reserved" for the U.S. He also described Trump's signature on the agreement as "completely worthless and devoid of credibility."
Oil reacts to the escalation
In the market, instability in the Middle East pressured oil prices. Brent futures contracts for September rose 4,6%, to US$ 88,10 per barrel, while American WTI, expiring in August, gained 4,5% and closed at US$ 82,49.
For the week, both benchmarks accumulated gains of about 16%, the highest level since mid-June.
