Washington, July 20 (IANS) US President Donald Trump’s administration said that its military campaign against Iran would continue after two American service members were killed and another went missing in an Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan.

US forces responded with another round of airstrikes on Iran. The deaths were the first involving American troops since a US-Iran agreement collapsed weeks ago. Four other service members were injured but have since left hospital.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the deaths would not change the administration’s mission.

“Yes, this mission will go on until the mission is done,” Wright told ABC News’ “This Week”.

“It’s tragic to lose American lives, but this is a mission that will save countless lives going forward,” he said. “His focus is on degrading the Iranian ability to terrorize the world, to hold world commerce hostage, as they are doing right now, and to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. That is unchanged.”

Wright said Trump continued to seek a diplomatic exit. But he said US operations would continue if Tehran remained unwilling to reach an agreement.

“President Trump wants to end it with a peaceful agreement with Iran, but it takes two parties to do that,” he said.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, sharply challenged the administration’s approach. He said there had been no imminent Iranian threat when Trump began the conflict.

“This is what happens when you start a war of choice,” Warner told CBS News’ “Face the Nation”. “You start a war of choice without a plan.”

Warner said the campaign had failed to eliminate Iran’s missile and drone capabilities or secure the Strait of Hormuz. He also questioned the cost of using expensive US missiles against cheaper Iranian drones.

“We’re using missiles that cost $2.5 million to shoot down Iranian drones that cost $50,000,” he said.

Wright disputed suggestions that traffic through the Strait had stopped. He said nearly seven million barrels a day were passing through the waterway, while a similar volume moved through bypass pipelines.

“We’re at a little under 14 million barrels a day from the Arabian Gulf region,” he said. “That’s two-thirds of pre-conflict traffic.”

Retired Admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO supreme allied commander, said Trump faced three difficult choices: withdraw, sharply expand military operations or increase pressure while keeping negotiations open.

“Some have called this, and I think it’s accurate, escalate to de-escalate to force them back to the table,” Stavridis told CNN.

--IANS

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