The U.S. military unleashed airstrikes against Iran on Saturday evening in retaliation for Tehran hitting two military bases in Jordan a day prior, during which two U.S. service members were killed, the U.S. Central Command announced (Centcom). 

The new wave of strikes began at 6 p.m. EDT in what U.S. officials said was an effort to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and "punish" the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched missiles and drones against U.S. soldiers in Jordan on Friday. 

Apart from the U.S. service members who were killed in action in Jordan, one service member is currently missing, according to Centcom. The U.S. military death toll has now risen to 16 since the start of the conflict. 

Four U.S. service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and they have been discharged since. Other personnel who sustained "minor injuries" have returned to duty, according to the U.S. military. 

"Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday. 

Saturday's barrage of strikes marks the eighth consecutive day U.S. forces in the Centcom theater have conducted kinetic action against Iran. 

The U.S. military has widened its attacks across Iran in recent days, hitting energy infrastructure, port facilities, bridges and other targets as President Trump looks to squeeze the Tehran regime. 

Iran has fired back at U.S. allies in the region, hitting U.S. bases nearby, along with power and desalination plants, escalating tensions as the two sides inch closer to an all-out war. 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei blamed the U.S. for breaching the fragile ceasefire. 

"Now that the American enemy is seeking to escalate the conflict thereby incurring even heavier costs and further humiliation, it should know that the noble nation of Iran and the Resistance Front have unforgettable lessons in store for it," Khamenei said on social media.

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