NEW YORK, July 21. /TASS/. The latest waves of US strikes on Iranian territory are a response to the death of US military personnel during the attacks by the Islamic Republic, the Associated Press (AP) reported citing sources.

According to its data, US President Donald Trump’s administration is currently focused on making Iran "pay" for the death of US servicemen. At the same time, Washington does not have a long-term exit strategy from the conflict, and military actions are driven by tactical considerations. As one of AP's sources noted, strikes on Iran with the current intensity will continue until the Trump administration outlines a new strategy.

Earlier, AP reported that the total number of US troops killed in the armed conflict with Iran had increased to 17. The United States Central Command informed of the death of a US serviceman in Iraq on July 18 during a "controlled detonation" of ammunition from a downed Iranian drone. On July 17, according to the command, two US servicemen were killed in Jordan, while repelling an Iranian attack. At that time, another US service member went missing, on July 19 the command reported the discovery of human remains in the area of the latest Iranian strike. Official death toll may increase to 18, AP specifies.