Pentagon Says Around 100 US Troops Injured As Washington And Tehran Exchange Strikes

Nearly 100 US military personnel have been injured in attacks in the Middle East over the past two weeks, the Pentagon said on Monday, as American forces continue to strike Iranian targets and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims responsibility for attacks on US positions in Jordan.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell, during a news briefing at the Pentagon, confirmed that "nearly 100" US service members had been injured in the past two weeks across the region. Parnell did not specify the nature of the injuries or the exact locations of the attacks but said the Pentagon was closely monitoring the situation.

The announcement comes as the US Department of War identified two soldiers who were killed in the conflict. According to a release from the Department, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe were among those killed in action. The Department did not provide further details on the circumstances of their deaths.

US Finishes Latest Strikes Against Iran

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had finished its latest strikes against Iran, targeting Iranian military facilities to degrade Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. "US Central Command forces continue to conduct strikes against Iranian military targets to degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation and commercial shipping," a CENTCOM statement said.

The latest wave of US strikes has been ongoing for more than a week, with American forces targeting Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities. The US has said the strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran Claims Attacks On US Position In Jordan

The IRGC claimed responsibility for attacks on a US military position in Jordan's Rukban region, according to a statement on Sepah News, the IRGC's official news outlet. The statement claimed that "a number of soldiers were killed" in the targeting of "the compound where the terrorist and child-killing American army forces were stationed."

The IRGC also claimed to have attacked the "central data infrastructure of the American company Amazon in Bahrain with several cruise missiles," according to a separate statement on Sepah News. The claims could not be independently verified.

The conflict between the US and Iran has intensified since the collapse of a ceasefire agreement earlier this month. The US has been conducting near-daily strikes against Iranian targets, while Iran has retaliated with attacks on US positions and commercial shipping in the Gulf.