U.S. identifies 3rd service member killed in Iranian attack

A third American service member believed to have been killed by an Iranian attack on an air base in Jordan has been identified by the United States military as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad of New York.

The 28-year-old “is believed to have been killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “The incident is under investigation.”

After the attack, U.S. Central Command said that two service members were killed and another was missing. The following day, it said that troops found unidentified remains and that an examination process to verify them had begun.

The Pentagon said she is now thought to be that missing soldier and her official status has changed from “Duty Status-Whereabouts Unknown” to “believed to be deceased.”

Describing Rampersad as an “active-duty Soldier who was supporting overseas operations in Jordan,” the statement said she was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command, in Ansbach, Germany.

Paying tribute to Rampersad on X, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her heart was “with her family, loved ones, and the soldiers who stood beside her as they grieve this unimaginable loss.” She added that New York was mourning “the loss of one of our own.”

Rampersad’s death brings the total number of U.S. service members killed since the war began to 18.

The announcement of her death came as the U.S. military bombed targets across Iran for an 11th straight night Tuesday.

Iran has responded by attacking U.S. allies in the region, as well as American bases and military facilities across the Middle East.

Two other soldiers killed by Iranian strikes on Jordan were identified by the Defense Department as Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and 19-year-old Isabella Gonzales of Texas. The Pentagon did not provide details on the exact circumstances of their deaths.

Feehan and Gonzales had been assigned to Army missile defense commands in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Ansbach, Germany, respectively, it said. The Pentagon said they were part of a longtime, ongoing mission to counter ISIS, Operation Inherent Resolve, that began in 2014.

They are the first known troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the early days of the conflict.

A fourth death, of Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, occurred Sunday in a separate incident in Irbil, Iraq, during a controlled detonation of an attack drone.

President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that they were “out there fighting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump is expected to attend a ceremony known as a dignified transfer for U.S. service members whose remains will return to American soil in flag-draped caskets. It is expected to take place Wednesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25. — Pvt. Isabella Gonzales; 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan.U.S. Army

Elsewhere in Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put the cost of the Iran war so far at $37.5 billion Tuesday at a contentious hearing during which he told lawmakers the Trump administration needs nearly twice that much to continue military operations in the coming months.

At least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran since military operations began, according to the country’s state-affiliated news media, citing a senior judicial official.

The mounting death toll has effectively ended the interim ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran negotiated last month. After weeks of trading accusations that each side has violated the agreement, the two countries resumed attacks, with U.S. forces striking Iranian military targets and Tehran launching missiles and drones at U.S. allies in the region.

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