A US official said Monday that Washington’s strikes against Iran were likely to continue, even as the sides negotiate a resolution to an ongoing dispute regarding control over the Strait of Hormuz, while US President Donald Trump threatened to make Tehran pay for the deaths of American servicemembers.

Trump said Monday that he had directed the Pentagon to kill “many times” the number of Iranians for every US soldier killed by Tehran.

“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 Truth Social, without elaborating.

The post suggested that the sides were heading toward a further escalation, after at least two US troops were killed in an Iranian attack on Jordan over the weekend, in addition to a servicemember killed in Iraq. The total number of confirmed American fatalities in the war has now risen to 17.

Nearly 100 US servicemembers have been wounded since July 7, the Pentagon said on Monday, most with minor concussions.

Despite the escalation in violence, so far Israel has not joined the strikes nor been the target of retaliation by Iran. According to a Channel 12 news report Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security consultation to discuss multiple scenarios — including the possibility that Israel could be drawn into the conflict if Iran chooses to target it.

According to the report, Israeli defense officials told the elected leaders that there is an active debate in Tehran over whether to bring Israel into the line of fire. Israel is said to be coordinating closely with US Central Command, in the event that the conflict broadens, while the IDF has taken steps in recent days to ensure it can respond rapidly should the situation escalate.

Meanwhile a US official told reporters Monday that diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran were nevertheless continuing.

“Right now, President Trump is focused on making Iran pay for their violations of the MOU and their continued acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz,” said a US official in a statement sent to querying reporters.

“In addition, the president will make Iran pay for the recent deaths of US soldiers. These devastating blows will continue until the president deems otherwise, but talks between our countries are continuing,” the US official added.

The........

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