Trump vows Iran will ‘pay’ for killing US soldiers | Donald Trump News

The US is stepping up airstrikes in Iran, targeting critical areas after the death of American soldiers in the region.

US President Donald Trump says Iran will “pay” for killing US soldiers after several members were killed over the weekend.

“Every time Iran kills an American soldier they pay for that killing many times over!” Trump said Monday on social media. “This directive has been issued to the Secretary of War, Mr. Pete Hegseth, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mr. Daniel Caine, and each Commander of the Armed Forces. President DONALD J TRUMP.”

Trump’s warning came as the US on Monday launched its ninth night of airstrikes on Iran after announcing the death of a member of the USkilled in Iraq during the “controlled explosion” of the downed Iranian airliner.

The US military has also identified two soldiers who were killed in Jordan on Friday while defending themselves against Iranian artillery. 17 US soldiers have been killed since the five-month US-Israeli war began in Iran.

The latest exchange of fire, now in its second week, has seen the US target Iran’s bridges and nuclear facilities as the countries appear to be moving closer to a return to full-scale war. Iran on Monday retaliated against US allies Kuwait and Bahrain, home of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.

About 430 US soldiers have been injured in the war so far.

The White House said Trump will attend a memorial service at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the victims.

It is unclear what “advice” Trump gave to the Pentagon. But a US official told Reuters that before the deadly attack in Jordan, the US had already moved some military aircraft, including fighter jets and tankers, to the Middle East.

Last week, Trump threatened to expand the targets struck in Iran to include power plants and bridges, send troops to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil facility and blow up a nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain.

Sources told Reuters that the latest wave of US pressure on Iran to force the opening of the Strait of Hormuz also points to Iran’s military capabilities, which the US would like to destroy before taking any serious action against the country.

The fight, including its financial cost, should dominate the US meeting on Tuesday with Hegseth and Caine.