US Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has begun a new wave of air strikes against Iran tonight, for the ninth consecutive night, to continue degrading Iran’s military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Pentagon said a service member was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday while troops disposed of an Iranian drone. It also said “unidentified remains” had been found in Jordan, where an earlier attack had left two soldiers dead and another missing.

The United States and Iran have exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensifies.

It looks like laser weapons are going to get a major power-up. The US government has awarded contracts worth US$86 million to develop new Joint Laser Weapon Systems (JLWS) capable of outputting up to 500 kW to take out next-generation cruise missiles.

While preferring diplomacy, the president was briefed this week on options, including the use of ground troops and bombing the nuclear-linked site Pickaxe Mountain.

President Trump ordered U.S. warships and aircraft to stop vessels going to and from Iran. Enforcing a blockade takes a huge commitment of warships and aircraft.

Many of the qualities defense experts say will matter most in future wars are difficult to define and even harder to quantify.

U.S. ‌forces joined search-and-rescue operations, restored airport operations and mobilized air and naval assets to speed humanitarian aid after the earthquakes.

The U.S. military began conducting another wave of airstrikes against Iran on Thursday, marking the sixth consecutive day Washington has launched attacks aimed at degrading Tehran’s military capabilities.

The U.S. military reports two more service members have been killed in the conflict with Iran, bringing the total to 16.