Christmas. 19, 2026, 3:55 PM EDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Three American service members — two in Jordan and one in Iraq — were killed in action and one remains missing after Iranian attacks<\/a> over the past few days, U.S. Central Command said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The U.S. military on Sunday carried out new airstrikes in response<\/a> to “swiftly punish” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.<\/p>\n

The names of the killed service members were being withheld until 24 hours after their families were notified, CENTCOM said<\/a>. Four others were taken to hospitals and have since been discharged, according to CENTCOM. Others were evaluated for minor injuries and have returned to duty. Another service member was wounded and continues to receive medical treatment for a minor injury.<\/p>\n

CENTCOM announced on Sunday that a third U.S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 following an attempt to detonate unexploded ordnance from an Iranian drone.<\/p>\n

The latest fatalities bring the United States’ combat death toll related to the Iran war to 17. In addition, a soldier died from a noncombat-related incident in Kuwait. Hundreds of other troops have been injured.<\/p>\n

In a social media post<\/a> on Saturday afternoon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote, “Godspeed, heroes,” adding: “Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.” <\/p>\n

The U.S. and Iran have traded strikes for the past week, with Iran hitting neighboring nations where American military bases are located. Iran has again closed the Strait of Hormuz — access to which has been a major factor in the war — and the U.S. restored its blockade on Iranian ports. <\/p>\n

At least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in Iran since the U.S. resumed its bombing campaign, according to Iran’s Ministry of Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A senior Iranian government official told MS NOW on Saturday that the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran is “no longer valid” after days of fighting. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to discuss sensitive issues, said the U.S. had consistently breached the ceasefire and added that Iran had no plans to negotiate while it’s under attack.<\/p>\n

A senior foreign diplomat inside Tehran who is linked to Iran-U.S. negotiations told MS NOW that “there is no hope of peace in the near future.” The diplomat, who did not want to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the topic, said it would “take a miracle” to return to negotiations.<\/p>\n

The renewed hostilities threaten to upend the fast-deteriorating agreement that the two countries signed last month. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state TV that Iran is suspending its commitments to the memorandum of understanding with the U.S., The Associated Press reported Saturday<\/a>accusing the U.S. of violating its own commitments under the deal.<\/p>\n

It’s unclear where mediation efforts stand at the moment. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement Saturday that the U.S. violation of the MoU proved the “worthlessness and invalidity”<\/a> of President Donald Trump’s signature and warned of heavy repercussions<\/a> for the U.S., state broadcaster IRIB reported.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Inzamam Rashid is a MS NOW contributor and Monocle’s Gulf Correspondent based in Dubai. He has previously reported for Sky News and the BBC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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