Trump calls latest US casualties in Iran war ‘great patriots,’ says weekend strikes ‘in their honor’

IRAN WAR CONTINUES TO ESCALATE: The U.S. Central Command completed its ninth consecutive day of punishing air strikes against targets in Iran last night, capping a weekend that saw at least two, possibly three, U.S. troops killed in a Friday missile attack on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Separately, another U.S. service member was killed attempting to conduct a “controlled detonation” of an unexploded Iranian drone downed in north Iraq.“We feel very badly, but you know those great people, those great patriots are out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” President Donald Trump said, speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews last night. “We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of the probably three … great patriots.’In Jordan the U.S. military has recovered remains believed to be a third victim, but those remains have yet to be positively identified. Trump made no mention of the deaths on his Truth Social platform Sunday, instead posting about the opera singer who performed at the World Cup, maple trees he’s planting at the White House, and plans for repairs at the World War II Memorial.“Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X.The casualty toll of the Operation Epic Fury so far stands at 17 dead, and 427 wounded in action. TRUMP SAYS US TROOP DEATHS ‘A SHAME’ BUT NECESSARY TO PREVENT IRANIAN NUKEBOTH SIDES EXPAND TARGET LIST: CENTCOM said its ninth day of strikes hit “Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks.”Some strikes reportedly hit some bridges, but the Military’s public releases refer only to targeting “military logistics infrastructure.”Iranian attacks appeared aimed at convincing America’s Gulf allies that they will pay a price for hosting U.S. forces at their military bases, while the pattern of strikes and counterstrikes suggests the war is back in full swing with no obvious end in sight.When pressed by a reporter last night about how the war that was expected to last several weeks has stretched into its fifth month, Trump seemed to characterize the current fighting as a mop-up operation. “This is a far bigger job that we’re doing,” Trump said “We were doing a little job in stopping them from having a certain capability, now we’re just ending it. So it’s really not the same thing. What we’re doing now is we’re ending any chance where they can have a nuclear missile.”In another sign that the war is escalating, more F-35s, F-16s, and aerial refueling planes have been moved to the region from bases in Europe. “U.S. F-16 jet fighters from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany have been sent to the region as have stealthy U.S. F-35s from the air base at Lakenheath, England,” Air & Space Forces Magazine reported.“It’s often people like Donald Trump who have no experience at this stuff that think airpower is the solution to a problem,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) a former Navy pilot and astronaut said on MS NOW. “He got into this without a clear exit plan, he got into this without a strategic goal that he was trying to achieve.”“So, my biggest worry right now is just escalation,” said Kelly, an ardent critic of the president. “And we now have more dead Americans over the last couple of days. He’s starting to talk about, again, talking about ground troops and a possible invasion of Kharg Island or something else.”US STRIKES IRGC FORCES BEHIND ATTACK THAT KILLED US TROOPS IN JORDANWHAT ABOUT THE STRAIT? While Iran may not control the Strait of Hormuz, its attacks on ships using the U.S.-approved channel near the coast of Oman have successfully scared off much of the international commercial traffic. Iran posted a video showing its drone attack on a Greek tanker attempting to transit the strait under U.S. protection Friday. “We continue on a daily basis very successfully to degrade Iran’s ability to target ships,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters last night at Joint Base Andrews. “You hear about the ships that have been struck. You don’t hear about the ones that have been defended and the ones they haven’t been able to launch against.”Rubio conceded that for now, the primary military objective is to reopen the strait, which was free and open for decades before the U.S. attacked Iran in February. “The only reason why the U.S. is conducting strikes is against assets of Iran that are being used to attack global commercial shipping,” Rubio said. “The Straits of Hormuz are an international waterway, and they continue to launch against ships in that international waterway. Other countries should join us in this effort, but the United States is involved not just in protecting those ships but in targeting the places that they use to launch these missiles and drones.”“They continue to send signals that they want to talk, that they want to negotiate, but their behavior is what we’re responding to. And their behavior is they’re launching missiles and drones at ships, including tonight,” Rubio said. “I mean, the straits are supposed to be open – free of tolls, free of attacks, free of all the things they’re doing against these ships.”“What I will say is that the United States always remains open to a diplomatic solution, and we’ve tried multiple times with Iran, and we’ll continue to try. If that door opens, we’ll be happy to see it open.”On ABC’s This Week Sunday program, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the U.S. tracks the volume of oil that makes it through the strait, not the number of ships. “Ship numbers are down more dramatically, but, of course, we’re flowing larger tankers now to keep the world markets as well supplied as we can.”“Gasoline prices today are more than one dollar a gallon cheaper than they were four years ago under the Biden administration,” Wright said. The latest figures show the average price of regular gas in the U.S. back to $4, compared to $3.14 a gallon a year ago.US ENTERS NEW NORMAL OF INCREASED STRIKES AGAINST IRAN ‘TO BREAK THE IMPASSE’ OVER STRAIT OF HORMUZGood Monday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Keely Bastow. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSEHAPPENING TODAY: UKRAINE AND RUSSIA TRADE HEAVY STRIKES: Meanwhile, in the other war, Ukraine and Russia continue to trade blows to devastating and deadly effect. The latest Russian attack killed at least 14 people and wounded over 160 in glide bombs and missiles that struck across Ukraine. “Kyiv and the region were the Russians’ primary target. They had been preparing this attack for several days, stockpiling missiles,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address. “Russia is placing its wagers on ballistic missiles, and it is because of them that Putin still believes in his war.”Zelensky again stressed Ukraine’s urgent need for defense against ballistic missiles, the hardest to shoot down. “Our air defense forces and all our defenders of the skies managed to shoot down 18 missiles and neutralize more than a hundred drones. It is very important that our partners understand what is happening and that air defense missiles are needed to protect lives literally every single day.”Meanwhile Ukraine fired more than 400 drones toward Moscow in its latest major attack on the Russian capital, and it’s using its deep strike drone capability to maximize damage to Russia’s oil refining and delivery capacity. “Our long-range sanctions have produced results against logistics facilities and an oil depot,” in the Moscow region, Zelensky said on X, along with a video of a drone strike. In the past 24 hours Ukrainian drones also hit seven Russian “shadow fleet” ships in Black and Azov seas.“We are justly responding to every Russian strike on our cities and communities,” Zelensky said. “This war must be ended, and that is possible only by intensifying pressure on the sole cause of this war – Russia.”AIR FORCE ONE TO BE MAXED OUT: In what amounts to a tacit admission that all the press reports about the lack of adequate air defenses on Trump’s new luxury Air Force 747, the president told reporters last night, that the Qatari-donated planes will going back to shop for enhancement that were left out of the initial retrofitting of the former flying palace.The admission came after a reporter pointed blank, “Mr. President, this plane does not have antimissile defense systems on it. Why are you flying it?” “Well, it has — it has a lot, and you know it has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out,” Trump replied. “So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out. It’ll take about a month.”The New York Times reported earlier this month that Trump’s new Air Force One lacks the same defensive countermeasures as the older model, including antimissile capabilities. “The coverage prompted a leak investigation that included the highly unusual step of the FBI, just 24 hours after the story appeared, hand-delivering subpoenas to Times reporters to testify before a federal grand jury,” the outlet noted.CAN TURKEY FINALLY BE TRUSTED WITH AMERICA’S PREMIER FIGHTER JET?THE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Trump says US troop deaths ‘a shame’ but necessary to prevent Iranian nukeWashington Examiner: US strikes IRGC forces behind attack that killed US troops in JordanWashington Examiner: US enters new normal of increased strikes against Iran ‘to break the impasse’ over Strait of HormuzWashington Examiner: Houthis encouraged to shut down Red Sea shipping if US escalates Iran war: Houthis encouraged to shut down Red Sea shipping if US escalates Iran warWashington Examiner: State Department issues worldwide caution alert as Iran conflict escalatesWashington Examiner: Trump eyes IRGC ‘wipe out’ and Kharg Island takeoverWashington Examiner: Tehran amps up Trump death threats with graphic billboard: ‘We will kill Trump’Washington Examiner: US backs Iraq-Syria oil pipeline bypassing Strait of HormuzWashington Examiner: China slams Trump’s accusation of election meddling: ‘Entirely fabricated’Washington Examiner: Six dead as Kyiv hit by largest ballistic missile attack of war with interceptor stock lowWashington Examiner: Trump urges Iran’s addition to Russian sanctions bill: ‘What Lindsey wanted’Washington Examiner: ICE melting under Trump’s expectations, officers sayWashington Examiner: ICE sits frozen amid Trump-Mullin traffic stop debacleWashington Examiner: Burnham ‘finalizing’ Cabinet picks ahead of appointment as UK prime ministerWashington Examiner: Opinion: Iran’s brinkmanship is costing it influence and optionsWashington Examiner: Opinion: Three rebuttals to the crackpot Charlie Kirk-Israel conspiracy theoryAP: The US and Iran have blown past red lines as they lurch back toward all-out warNew York Times: The U.S. is sending more warplanes to the Middle East, U.S. officials say.Wall Street Journal: Lockheed Martin Plans Bargain-Rate Patriot Missile to Replenish Low StockpilesWall Street Journal: Zelensky Seeks to Quell Growing Discontent Over Ouster of Defense MinisterNew York Times: Facing New Pressure From Ukraine, Putin Signals Intent to Dig InThe Economist: The Iran war is America’s least popular since polls beganWall Street Journal: Ukraine Escalates Air War With Deadly Strikes on Russia’s ‘Amazon’New York Times: Federal Agents Were Told F.B.I. Will No Longer Investigate ICE ConfrontationsFinancial Times: Defence giants to maintain grip on weapons market despite drone boomNew York Times: Trump Says New Air Force One Will Be Taken Out of Service to Be ‘Maxed Out’Breaking Defense: Boeing Expects Additional Cost Hit on Air Force One to Make 2028 Delivery: Defense CEOAviation Week: Boeing: T-7 Pitch to United Kingdom Shows European CommitmentAir & Space Forces Magazine: US Deploying F-16s and F-35s to Middle East as Iran War Heats Back UpBreaking Defense: USAF Chief Wilsbach on Lessons from Iran, T-7 Flight, and F-35 DelaysReal Clear Defense: Air Superiority over Battlefields Demands Both Standoff and Penetrating AirpowerAir & Space Forces Magazine: Senior Space Force General: Iran Conflict Shows ‘Return to US Spectrum Dominance’Defense One: Can New Drones, 3D Printers Defeat Distance’s Tyranny? RIMPAC Aims to Find OutMilitary Times: ‘Let the AI Do It’: Former Air Force Secretary Pits Machine Against Human OperatorsAir & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Offering $25K Bonus for 8-Year Enlistments, but Slots Are LimitedAir & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Announces Enlisted Promotions as It Prepares to Switch to ‘Fully Qualified’ SystemAir & Space Forces Magazine: Former SECAF Kendall: Adding CCAs to Red Flag Will Be ‘Fascinating’ Step in DevelopmentDefenseScoop: Pentagon Task Force to Review CMMC Hits the Ground RunningAir & Space Forces Magazine: New AFCENT Commander, USAFA Superintendent ConfirmedLos Angeles Times: Airman at Vandenberg Space Force Base Dies in Heavy Machinery Incident, Officials SayThe Atlantic: Opinion: Trump Owes Americans a Better Explanation About IranTHE CALENDAR: MONDAY | JULY 2012 p.m. — Foreign Policy virtual discussion: “Where the Iran Conflict Goes From Here,” with former National Security Council Director for Iran Nate Swanson, director, Atlantic Council Iran Strategy Project https://foreignpolicy.com/live/nate-swanson-united-states-iran-conflict-strait1 p.m. — National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations virtual discussion: “Back to the Brink: What Comes Next in the U.S.-Iran Conflict After the Collapse of Diplomacy?” with Joey Hood, former acting assistant secretary of State for the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau, former consul general and principal officer at the U.S. Consulate, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and former U.S. ambassador to Tunisia; Joseph Kechichian, senior research fellow of the Center for Research and Islamic Studies Office of the Chairman; Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, fellow for the Middle East at Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy and co-director, Middle East Energy Roundtable; and Fadi Hilani, director, NCUAR Levant and Middle East Area Studies Program and NCUAR senior academic and research fellow-in-residence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1JkAsh3agk1 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Takeaways from Ankara: Debriefing the 2026 NATO Summit,” with Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) https://www.hudson.org/events/takeaways-ankara-debriefing-2026-nato-summit-representative-mike-turner-r-oh1:30 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW— Brookings Institution discussion: “The Future of Security Assistance,” with Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Alexander Noyes, fellow, Brookings Foreign Policy Program and Brookings Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy and Technology; and Dafna Rand, senior fellow of the Brookings Foreign Policy Program https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-future-of-security-assistanceTUESDAY | JULY 21 10 a.m. 1334 Longworth — House Intelligence Committee hearing: “25 Years After 9/11: Confronting the Next Generation of Threats,” with testimony from retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, former U.S. national security advisor, senior fellow of the Hoover Institution; Seth Jones, president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Defense and Security Department; and Frank Cilluffo, director of Auburn University McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure http://intelligence.house.gov10:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Navigating Strategic Competition: Senator Tammy Duckworth on the Future of U.S. Indo-Pacific Engagement,” with Victor Cha, president, Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at CSIS; and Charles Edel, senior adviser and Australia Chair at CSIS https://www.csis.org/events/navigating-strategic-competition11 a.m. — Arab Center Washington D.C. and the Center for International Policy virtual discussion: “Iran War Aftershocks and Reshaping the Regional Order: Assessing the US-Iran and Lebanon-Israel Agreements,” with Giorgio Cafiero, CEO and founder of Gulf State Analytics; Rola El Husseini, associate professor and researcher at Lund University Centre for Middle Eastern Studies; Neqar Mortazavi, journalist, political commentator and senior non-resident fellow of the Center for International Policy; Dania Thafer, executive director, Gulf International Forum; Nancy Okail, president and CEO of the Center for International Policy; and Khalil Jahshan, executive director, Arab Center Washington, D.C. https://arabcenterdc.org/event/iran-war-aftershocks-and-reshaping-the-regional-order4:30 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute virtual discussion: “Subversion and Seduction: A Conversation About China Economic Statecraft with Audrye Wong,” with Robert Doar, president, AEI; and Audrye Wong, AEI senior fellow https://www.aei.org/events/subversion-and-seduction-a-conversationWEDNESDAY | JULY 22 10 a.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing: “U.N. Accountability and Reform: Advancing an America First Foreign Policy Through Strategic Diplomacy and Burden Sharing,” with testimony from U.S. Representative to the U.N. Mike Waltz; and Jeff Bartos, U.S. representative to the U.N. for U.N. Management and Reform http://foreignaffairs.house.gov10 a.m — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “How Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign is causing cracks in the Kremlin,” with former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov; former Russia Deputy Minister of Energy Vladimir Milov, vice president of international advocacy at the Free Russia Foundation; Natalia Arno, president of the Free Russia Foundation; and Anton Barbashin, co-founder and editorial director of Riddle Russia https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/how-ukraines-deep-strike-campaign-is-causing-cracks10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Is the U.S. Winning the Fusion Race?” with Bob Mumgaard, co-founder and CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems https://www.csis.org/events/united-states-winning-fusion-race10 a.m. 215 Dirksen — Senate Finance Committee hearing: “The President’s 2026 Trade Policy Agenda,” with testimony from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer http://finance.senate.gov11 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “The Red Sea Threat to Global Shipping,” with retired Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, MEI military fellow; Marwan Mahmoud El Sammak, chairman of Ship & CREW; and Mirettte Mabrouk, MEI senior fellow https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register11 a.m. Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies virtual discussion: “Exploring the Landscape of Military Law and Best Practices for JAGs,” with Stephanie Fisher, senior appellate counsel for the U.S. Navy; Mark Majors, deputy general counsel for the National Guard Bureau; Michael Newton, director of Vanderbilt Law School International Legal Studies Program; and Jesse Burbank, special counsel for the Defense Department https://fedsoc.org/events/exploring-the-landscape-of-military-law-and-best-practices-for-jags12:30 p.m. 1333 H St. NW — Center for American Progress discussion: “Stopping Trump’s Crypto Corruption: The Risks of the Clarity Act to Democracy and National Security,” with Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-CT) https://www.americanprogress.org/events/stopping-trumps-crypto-corruption/2 p.m. 2172 Rayburn — House Foreign Affairs East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee hearing: “Charting a New Course: Countering China’s Dominance in Global Shipbuilding” http://foreignaffairs.house.govTHURSDAY I JULY 23 9 a.m. Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual discussion: “Are Trump administration policies catalyzing European unity?” with Enrico Letta, dean, IE University School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs; and Nicolas Veron, PIIE senior fellow https://www.piie.com/events/2026/are-trump-administration-policies3:30 p.m. 1800 K St. NW — Henry L. Stimson Center discussion: “The Path Ahead for U.S.-South Korea Shipbuilding,” with retired Adm. James Foggo, dean, Center for Maritime Strategy https://www.stimson.org/event/the-path-ahead-for-u-s-south-korea-shipbuilding/FRIDAY | JULY 24 7:45 a.m. 300 First St. SE — National Institute for Deterrence Studies seminar: “The Israel Iran Wars: Missile Offense vs. Missile Defense,” with Uzi Rubin, former director, Israel Missile Defense Organization https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/dr-uzi-rubin-live-at-the-capitol-hill-club10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Taiwan’s National Mobilization Against the China Threat,” with Chi-Chang Tsai, Yuan legislative member; Pao-Yang Shen, Yuan legislative member; Ting-Yu Wang, Yuan legislative member; and Miles Yu, director, Hudson China Center https://www.hudson.org/events/taiwans-national-mobilization-against-china-threat7 p.m. — White House Correspondents Association annual dinner, with President Donald Trump, rescheduled from April 25 [email protected]