World
Trump vows to make Iran ‘pay’ for killing soldiers as US official says talks ongoing
A US official said Monday that Washington’s strikes against Iran were likely to continue, even as the sides negotiate a resolution to an ongoing dispute regarding control over the Strait of Hormuz, while US President Donald Trump threatened to make Tehran pay for the deaths of American servicemembers.
Trump said Monday that he had directed the Pentagon to kill “many times” the number of Iranians for every US soldier killed by Tehran.
“Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without elaborating.
The post suggested that the sides were heading toward a further escalation, after at least two US troops were killed in an Iranian attack on Jordan over the weekend, in addition to a servicemember killed in Iraq. The total number of confirmed American fatalities in the war has now risen to 17.
Nearly 100 US servicemembers have been wounded since July 7, the Pentagon said on Monday, most with minor concussions.
Despite the escalation in violence, so far Israel has not joined the strikes nor been the target of retaliation by Iran. According to a Channel 12 news report Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security consultation to discuss multiple scenarios — including the possibility that Israel could be drawn into the conflict if Iran chooses to target it.
According to the report, Israeli defense officials told the elected leaders that there is an active debate in Tehran over whether to bring Israel into the line of fire. Israel is said to be coordinating closely with US Central Command, in the event that the conflict broadens, while the IDF has taken steps in recent days to ensure it can respond rapidly should the situation escalate.
Meanwhile a US official told reporters Monday that diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran were nevertheless continuing.
“Right now, President Trump is focused on making Iran pay for their violations of the MOU and their continued acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz,” said a US official in a statement sent to querying reporters.
“In addition, the president will make Iran pay for the recent deaths of US soldiers. These devastating blows will continue until the president deems otherwise, but talks between our countries are continuing,” the US official added.
The comments came as fighting between Washington and Tehran showed no signs of abating, with the US Central Command announcing late Monday the 10th-straight night of strikes on targets in Iran.
“The strikes are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.
U.S. service members aboard amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) support flight operations day and night from the Arabian Sea as CENTCOM enforces the naval blockade against Iran. As of July 20, the U.S. military has redirected 7 commercial vessels and disabled 1 to prevent… pic.twitter.com/a1gtwipPUf
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 20, 2026
The US military said the strikes hit Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems.
Meanwhile Iran continued to retaliate against US targets in Gulf countries, striking sites in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Syria.
The Jordanian military said Monday that three Iranian ballistic missiles launched at the country were shot down by air defenses.
“The interception and shootdown operation did not result in any casualties or material damage,” the military said in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency.
Kuwait said its air defenses fired at an incoming barrage, and Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned Iranian drone strikes targeting the country’s air traffic systems, saying they endanger travel for civilians.
????Iranian Army announced that its one-way attack drones targeted administrative buildings and direction-finding antennas at Arifjan Base, a helicopter parking area at Al Udairi Camp, and a troop housing building at Ahmad Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait. pic.twitter.com/9csogbHEPG
— Press TV ???? (@PressTV) July 21, 2026
Later, the Iranian army said it had targeted a US base in Kuwait with missiles and US defense systems in Bahrain.
“The army’s ground forces targeted the HIMARS missile systems of the US terrorist army stationed at the Arifjan base in Kuwait with surface-to-surface missiles,” state news agency IRNA said, quoting the army’s public relations officials.
“HIMARS is a mobile missile system with the ability to move quickly against ground targets, which, when targeted, causes damage to the offensive and defensive layers and reduces the enemy’s missile power in aggressive crimes,” it said.
Camp Arifjan, located south of Kuwait City, accommodates elements of the US Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
In addition the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that it had targeted US military systems in Bahrain, including a radar and air defense system in Muharraq. It also said a Patriot air defense system in Riffa was hit in a simultaneous missile and drone attack.
The IRGC also took credit for targeting two oil tankers attempting to transit the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, which it said both caught fire. It said the strait would remain closed as long as the US actions in the region continued.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said Monday evening that a second ship had been attacked a day earlier in the Strait of Hormuz, this one off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
The other vessel caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile near the coastline of Oman. The crew abandoned the vessel, which was adrift and still ablaze hours later, the UKMTO said.
Separately, an explosive-laden drone was shot down near Iraq’s al-Harir air base which houses US forces, security sources told Reuters on Monday. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the incident which was reported east of Erbil.
Despite his threats on Monday, the Trump administration’s messaging has been oftentimes wildly contradictory, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that a deal with Iran is still possible and the White House promoting a June poll that showed a majority of Americans support the memorandum of understanding that both sides have indicated is no longer in place.
Trump in the past has reportedly told advisers he prefers to keep Iran confused about his intentions by making bombastic threats, even if he does not actually plan to carry them out.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
