Trump on US Soldiers' Deaths: Preventing Iran from Nuclear Weapons a Top Priority, Unconcerned by Its Withdrawal from MOU

U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the deaths of two American soldiers in Jordan due to attacks attributed to Iran, asserting that the strategic objective of the United States remains focused on preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Trump expressed his indifference to Iran's declaration of suspending its commitment to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the two sides. In a phone call with NewsNation, Trump described the deaths of the soldiers as "very sad," noting that they "died serving their country." He emphasized that "the central goal of this conflict is to never allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon." Responding to a question regarding Iran's announcement of no longer adhering to the MOU with Washington, Trump stated he was "not at all concerned by that." These statements follow the U.S. Central Command's (CENTCOM) announcement of American service members being killed in Jordan while U.S. and partner forces countered ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting the kingdom on July 17. CENTCOM added that a third U.S. service member remains missing, while four injured personnel were transported to Jordanian hospitals for treatment before being released, and others with minor injuries returned to duty. The Command confirmed it would not disclose the identities of the deceased until their next of kin were formally notified. Consequently, the number of U.S. service members killed since the onset of military confrontation with Iran has risen to sixteen, with the number of wounded exceeding 430 personnel, according to American data. For his part, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the deaths of the service members "strengthen our resolve," adding: "God bless the heroes; their sacrifices will only increase our determination." Conversely, Iran announced the suspension of its commitments under the interim memorandum of understanding signed with the United States approximately a month ago, a move seen as undermining one of the last remaining diplomatic channels between the parties. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharib Abadi stated in remarks to state television that the United States had "violated its commitments" under the agreement by continuing to launch attacks, and therefore, Tehran was "no longer fulfilling its obligations" contained in the memorandum.