July 19, 2026

Good morning! Today is Sunday, July 19th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Two American soldiers were killed and one is missing after Iran struck a Jordanian air base, marking the first U.S. combat deaths since hostilities resumed, as Tehran suspends the Islamabad memorandum and strikes spread across the region. Jude Russo offers a pointed historical parable about a leader who attacked Iran expecting easy victory, only to find himself mired in indecisive war, civilian devastation, and eventual ruin—revealing at the end that his subject is Saddam Hussein. Ben Sixsmith argues that the Save Our Bacon Act has produced a rare bipartisan opening on animal welfare, uniting conservatives and progressives against factory farming's cruelties. and now for the details. We begin with breaking news from the Iran War. Two American soldiers have been killed and a third is missing in action after Iran struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan with drones and ballistic missiles. U.S. Central Command announced the losses on Saturday, saying the service members died on July 17 while defending against the Iranian attack. Four other soldiers were evacuated for medical treatment and have since been discharged. As Joseph Addington reports for The American Conservative, this is the first strike to kill American troops since the resumption of hostilities between Washington and the Islamic Republic last week. It also marks the first U.S. military deaths in the Iran War since March 12, when a KC-135 tanker aircraft crashed while supporting operations against Iran, killing six soldiers. Staying with the war, Iran's Foreign Ministry announced Saturday that Tehran has suspended its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding with the United States. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi accused Washington of having, in his words, "effectively trampled on and halted all of its commitments." As Harrison Berger reports, CENTCOM says it struck Iranian surveillance sites, military logistics, and underground weapons storage in support of a renewed naval blockade. The BBC reports that overnight U.S. strikes destroyed an Iranian water desalination facility, leaving roughly ten thousand people without drinking water, with damaged roads and bridges hampering relief. Iran retaliated against U.S. bases across the region, striking targets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, and hitting Saudi territory for the first time in four months with an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base. Amnesty International released a report Saturday concluding that some Iranian drone strikes on Bahrain and Saudi Arabia may constitute war crimes. Iran's Health Ministry says U.S. attacks since July 6 have killed at least 50 people. For historical perspective on this widening conflict, Jude Russo offers a column that, he insists, is not about Trump's foreign policy. Russo tells the story of a leader who launched an assault on the Islamic Republic of Iran after observing its internal disorder, backed by pliant elites drawn from his own social circles, with little serious thought given to strategy. That leader was surprised to meet a foe who fought back with ferocity and ingenuity, and dismayed to find his attack had strengthened the ayatollahs' grip on power. What followed was indecisive war, failed ceasefires, mounting debt, escalating strikes on civilian infrastructure, and a hollow peace that restored the status quo. The aggressor then turned to invade a smaller neighbor to refill the treasury and win martial glory, only to be crushed by a distant superpower. Russo reveals at the end that he is describing Saddam Hussein, the Iran–Iraq War, the invasion of Kuwait, and the First Gulf War. The parallels, he leaves to the reader. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.