U.S. military launches new airstrikes on Iran to punish deaths of two American troops

The U.S. military carried out new airstrikes against Iran on Sunday to "swiftly punish" the country's Revolutionary Guard following an attack on a base in Jordan on Friday that killed two American service members, left one missing, and sent four to hospital.

The strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. An area near Sirik was targeted around 1:30 a.m. local time, and locations near Hajiabad and Qeshm Island were also hit, according to Iran's state-run news agencies. The U.S. Central Command said the strikes were designed to further degrade Iran's ability to restrict oil tanker traffic through the strait, which accounted for roughly 20 percent of global oil supplies before the war began.

The waterway has been effectively closed to shipping traffic since the conflict started with U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28. Iran closed the strait after the initial strikes.

Since the war began, 16 U.S. service members have been killed and over 430 wounded. The two deaths announced Saturday were the first resulting from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the conflict. Central Command did not identify the deceased or provide additional details on the deaths.

On Saturday, Iranian state media reported that U.S. airstrikes had already hit an electricity and desalination plant in Hormozgan province and damaged tunnels and bridges, disrupting a main highway toward Bandar Abbas, the site of Iran's main port near the strait's narrowest point.

Minutes before Saturday's announcement of the troop deaths, Iran's supreme leader warned of "unforgettable lessons" if the U.S. continued attacking the Islamic Republic, remarks that were read on state television.