The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said that the latest strikes carried out by U.S. forces against Iran were aimed at honoring American soldiers who were killed in recent attacks linked to Iran.
Trump made the remarks on Sunday while at Joint Base Andrews military airfield, where he had just joined soldiers and other officials to pay tribute to three American service members who were killed in Jordan and Iraq.
He said the soldiers were brave and patriotic people who lost their lives while fighting to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
He said:
“We were deeply saddened by what happened. But those brave people, those patriots, were out there fighting to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.”
He continued:
“We struck them hard again tonight. And we did it in their honor.”
Trump’s remarks came as, on July 20, 2026, the U.S. military announced that it had carried out its ninth consecutive round of strikes against Iran.
The strikes targeted Iranian military command facilities, air defense systems, naval bases, missile launch sites, drone facilities, and communication networks.
The U.S. military said the objective was to reduce Iran’s ability to carry out attacks against commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strikes intensified after two American soldiers were killed in Jordan on July 17, 2026, in an attack linked to Iran, while another U.S. soldier was killed in Iraq on July 18, 2026.
