Two US troops killed by Iran are identified as Trump moves closer to all-out WAR in blistering revenge
By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER
Published: 07:27 EDT, 20 July 2026 \| Updated: 09:35 EDT, 20 July 2026
Two US soldiers killed by Iranian strikes in Jordan have been identified on Monday as Donald Trump prepares to expand his war against the regime.
1st Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed following an attack on an American air base in Jordan on Friday, the Pentagon announced.
Gonzales, a Texas native, died Friday and Feehan, of Hawaii, died Saturday. They are the first American troops killed in the conflict with Iran since March, bringing the overall US death toll to 17.
A third US soldier was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday during the controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone. The Pentagon has not released the soldier's identity.
Central Command is also working to establish whether remains found close to the devastated Jordan base belong to a fourth service member who had been listed as missing.
As American deaths continue climbing, Trump's confrontation with Iran is spiraling toward a far wider conflict, with the US unleashing its ninth consecutive wave of strikes.
The President, speaking at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night after attending the World Cup final, said the US had 'hit them very hard again' in a fresh barrage launched to avenge the fallen soldiers.
Iran hit back on Monday morning, launching explosive-laden suicide drones at critical infrastructure in Kuwait, according to the Kuwaiti military.
Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, was one of two American soldiers killed following an attack on an American air base in Jordan on Friday
Donald Trump is preparing to expand his war against the regime in the wake of the deaths
The President's confrontation with Iran is spiraling toward a far wider conflict, with the US unleashing its ninth consecutive wave of strikes
Central Command is also working to establish whether remains found close to the devastated Jordan base belong to a fourth service member who had been listed as missing
US is trying to cripple Tehran's ability to menace commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway responsible for carrying one-fifth of all global oil
Previously, Trump said the deaths of the two troops are 'a very sad thing.'
The President also told NewsNation on Sunday that he 'couldn’t care less' if Iran no longer abides by the peace agreement signed last month.
The overnight bombardment pounded Iranian command centers, air defenses, naval assets, coastal surveillance posts and missile, drone and communications sites.
The US is trying to cripple Tehran's ability to menace commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway responsible for carrying one-fifth of all global oil.
Fighting resumed last week after America accused Iran of violating the Memorandum of Understanding by attacking oil tankers passing through the Persian Gulf.
The US Navy has also hit back at Iranian aggression, reimposing a blockade on all of the regime's ports and seizing several of its ships.
'The US is planning for a wider war,' said one American official familiar to the Washington Post. The source noted that the Pentagon was boosting the number of aircraft in the region.
The official cautioned that the expanded operation would be limited because US stocks of air-defense and long-range weapons are running low, and battle damage was restricting how many extra troops and warplanes can be funneled into the region.