‘Will pay many times over,’ Trump’s chilling warning after Iran’s strikes on Jordan leaves 2 US soldiers dead

United States President Donald Trump on Monday issued a chilling warning to Iran, days after Iranian strikes on an American base in Jordan left two US troops dead and several others injured. Trump warned that Tehran “will pay many times over” for every attack on an American soldier.

Trump’s latest comments came on social media platform Truth Social. “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” Trump wrote on the platform. 

This came after the US military stated that it lost two soldiers at an American base in Jordan. The Pentagon identified the deceased as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. It said that the US military lost 17 service members during the Iran war. 

Netanyahu “will not be arrested”: Trump

Meanwhile, President Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not be arrested” when he visits New York in September, brushing aside the suggestion of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani said that his office is still looking for legal alternatives to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli Prime Minister visits the city for the UNGA in September this year. He made the remarks in The New York Times podcast, saying he wants to stick to his campaign promise of pursuing legal action against Netanyahu.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani told The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court. And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years,” he had said.

However, Trump ruled out any such probability with a separate social media post. “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others. The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, something that should have been dealt with years ago by previous Presidents!”

US expands bombing of Iran, Tehran retaliates

Meanwhile, the US conducted a new round of airstrikes on Iran early Monday, hitting a northwestern city, which is believed to be home to underground missile bases. Tehran responded with an attack targeting Bahrain, the home of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait.

The latest strikes underscore how the US and Iran have edged closer to a full-scale war. An interim deal reached last month to halt the fighting has effectively crumbled, while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely come to a standstill.

Both sides have struck civilian infrastructure relied upon by millions, further intensifying the conflict. The escalation has also driven up global oil prices. Benchmark Brent crude climbed above USD 90 a barrel on Monday, while average US gasoline prices rose to USD 4 a gallon, adding to financial pressure on Americans ahead of the midterm elections this fall.

The US military said the service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. “We hit them very hard again tonight,” US President Donald Trump said. “And we did that in honour of” the soldiers who were killed, he added.

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