Three American soldiers were killed in an Iranian missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan, updating earlier casualty counts after U.S. and allied forces repelled strikes on July 17. The attack was one of several in recent days, with nine U.S. military sites hit across Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait since the ceasefire collapsed.
Iran has cut its missile launch preparation time from 15 hours to under 30 minutes and deployed steerable warheads, while U.S. Patriot and THAAD interceptor stockpiles fell by roughly half following the spring bombing campaign. U.S. intelligence estimates Iran's ballistic missile programme remains about 70% intact.
The five-month war has cost $37.5 billion, with $67 billion more requested, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. Chinese firms supplied satellite imagery Iran used to identify U.S. base targets, though President Donald Trump said Beijing and Moscow assured him they would not sell weapons to Tehran.