The US has continued conducting the ninth successive night of airstrikes targeting military and communications facilities in Iran, as a result of the recent killings of three US troops in Jordan and Iraq. President Donald Trump stated that Iran would be highly penalized for the killings of US citizens and that the airstrikes were dedicated in the honor of the fallen soldiers. The Iranian government has responded by striking American assets in Syria and Jordan, and claiming that oil tankers have exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to close off the sea passage if the US airstrikes continue.