The United States has launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran, with the military saying the operation was aimed at reducing Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and in retaliation for an attack on US troops in Jordan that killed two US service members.In a post on Twitter, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes began at 6 pm ET on the orders of President Donald Trump.CENTCOM said, “Today at 6 p.m. ET, the U.S. military, at the direction of the Commander in Chief, initiated new air strikes against Iran. These strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to rapidly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that launched attacks against U.S. service members in Jordan last night.”The latest operation marks a further escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran. According to CENTCOM, the strikes are targeting Iran’s military capabilities linked to threats against maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces, whom Washington blames for attacks on US personnel in Jordan.The US operation on Friday followed an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on Muwafaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where US and allied forces were defending against the attack. CENTCOM said two US service members were killed in action, one is missing, while four others were medically transported to Jordanian hospitals and have since been released. Other personnel undergoing treatment for minor injuries have returned to duty. The army said it would keep the identities of those killed secret until their families were informed.The latest attack raises the US military death toll in the Iran conflict to 16 service members, according to US officials.The US military has not disclosed the locations targeted in the latest wave of attacks or released preliminary battle damage assessments. Iran had no immediate comment on the operation.