US soldier killed while defusing Iranian drone, death toll rises to 17

An explosion occurred while defusing an Iranian drone that had been shot down in northern Iraq, killing another US service member and wounding another .

In a statement on Sunday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the soldier was killed on July 18 while defusing unexploded ordnance from the drone. The identities of the killed and wounded soldiers were not disclosed for security reasons .

According to CENTCOM, the number of US service members killed since the start of US-Israeli military operations against Iran on February 28 has now reached 17 .

Earlier on Friday, two US soldiers were killed and one went missing in an Iranian attack in Jordan. CENTCOM said some unidentified body parts were recovered from the scene and are being tested to confirm the identities of the deceased .

The report stated that the highly explosive 'Shahed' one-way attack drones used by Iran cost around $30,000 to produce. Because of their relatively low cost, these drones can be deployed in large numbers, whereas the interceptor missiles used to counter them cost several million dollars each. Despite this, air defence systems are not always successful in destroying the drones .

On Sunday, Iranian state media also reported that the US carried out strikes near the city of Sirik in southern Iran and the Shadegan area near the Iraq border. Explosions were also reported in the southwestern city of Abadan .

Meanwhile, the highest casualties in the ongoing conflict have occurred in Iran and Lebanon, with thousands of people killed, according to various reports. The conflict has also disrupted global energy supply chains and raised concerns about worldwide inflation .