Washington .- United States President Donald Trump received with honors this Wednesday the remains of the four U.S. service members killed in Iranian attacks in Jordan and Iraq last week, the first casualties for the North American country since the ceasefire was broken two weeks ago.
The ceremony, which was attended by the relatives of the deceased, took place at Dover Air Force Base, in the state of Delaware, where the Department of Defense’s main mortuary is located.
The fallen are three soldiers who died from Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan and another who died in Iraq due to the detonation of a drone from the Islamic Republic.
The new casualties bring to 18 the number of U.S. military personnel who have died in the Middle East since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a major offensive against Iran that led to the current war.
Trump’s threat to Iran
It is the third solemn ritual in Dover that Trump has attended since the start of the Iran war.
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The Department of Defense has identified those who died in Jordan as Tyler James Feehan, 25; Isabella Gonzales (19) and Angel Rampersad (28), while the one in Iraq is Michael Emmanuel Swinton (30).
Before leaving Washington for the reception of the bodies, Trump warned in statements to the press that Iran “will pay dearly” for the death of American soldiers.
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Last month, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a ceasefire, unblock the Strait of Hormuz, and provide space for negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, but the truce was broken and both countries have been exchanging crossfire for two weeks.
Trump insists on downplaying the severity of the situation, comparing the Iran war to those in Vietnam or Iraq, which dragged on for two decades and left thousands of American casualties.
