President Donald Trump made a chilling ultimatum to Iran on Truth Social on Wednesday, claiming that any time that Iran attacked a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S would retaliate.
In the post, Trump wrote, "From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT." He added that this includes "those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran."
The threat from the president comes after a new report revealed that over 100 U.S. service members have been injured in the conflict in July alone, according to officials. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell spoke to CBS News and confirmed the number of service members who have suffered injuries from airstrikes on bases in the Middle East.
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According to Parnell, almost 100 people "were deemed to have some degree of injury since July 7, 2026." The spokesperson confirmed that 96% of those people injured have already returned to active duty.
"They are determined to get back in the fight," Parnell added. "The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions."
Despite efforts to end the conflict peacefully, airstrikes have continued since the collapse of the memorandum of understanding, which was signed in June by both sides. The collapse of the document came as both sides continued to attack each other and failed to resolve several issues with it.
According to U.S. Central Command, the U.S. has continued launching airstrikes against Iran for 10 consecutive nights. Over the weekend, the Department of War announced that three Americans had perished during an attack on a military base in Jordan, though the exact cause of death has yet to be announced.
The federal agency announced that another service member had been killed in Iraq during a "controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone." The current death toll for the months-long conflict now sits at 18, with at least 420 soldiers reported to be injured.
However, there does not seem to be a light at the end of the road, as the president responded to the deaths on Truth Social, claiming that "Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!" Trump added that the directive had been sent directly to Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, and other military leaders.
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However, things seemed to get even worse as a U.S. official announced that the military would increase its fighter presence in the Middle East, while the president mulls how to proceed with the war.