Four U.S. service members killed in action were honored Wednesday.
President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, showing the human cost of conflict.
"And they are indeed great heroes, actually. They said, and all of them said very strongly, we can't let — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.
The president is threatening escalation with Iran, warning that whenever Iran fires at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, "The United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran."
Both sides continued attacks this week. On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command had launched strikes against Iran for 12 nights straight.
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Iran continued to fire at countries in the region, while its foreign minister warned "Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response."
Meanwhile the Pentagon is seeking more funding from Congress, putting the price tag of the conflict thus far at $37.5 billion.
The path toward restoring diplomacy and ending the war appears unclear.
"We remain open to working it out in a negotiated way. But right now, they don’t seem to be serious about that. And so we’re going to continue to protect shipping," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
