U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Collapses as American Death Toll Rises

Steve Booth (0:00)

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Luke Vargas (0:32)

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire effectively collapses after escalating fighting takes a deadly turn.

SPEAKER_3 (0:39)

And they continue to send signals that they want to talk, that they want to negotiate, but their behavior is what we're responding to.

Luke Vargas (0:46)

Plus, the FDA continues probing the source of widespread foodborne illness after walking back on the weekend findings. And we'll look at why young conservatives are suddenly Nixon-maxing. It's Monday, July 20th. I'm Luke Vargas for the Wall Street Journal. And here is the AM Edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

Three American troops have now died in connection with Iranian attacks over the weekend, making a recent flare-up in fighting one of the deadliest for US service members since the start of the war in February. Two American troops were killed in an Iranian attack on an airbase in Jordan, and the US is still working to identify the remains of what is believed to be a third American service member who went missing after the strike. Meanwhile, another US troop died Saturday in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian attack drone. Journal National Security correspondent Shelby Holliday says the deaths are likely to test the restraint of President Trump, who previously said he'd consider going back to war if Iran killed US soldiers.

Shelby Holliday (1:54)

If these numbers check out, that is four US service members killed in one weekend as a result of the Iran War. And it's happening as the US and Iran escalate attacks against each other. They're fighting for control over the Strait of Hormuz, but they are also broadening their attacks. The US is hitting bridges and supply routes. Iran is trying to target infrastructure. They're targeting civilians. They're also trying to kill American service members.

And it also shows how this conflict is spiraling after several weeks of negotiations and a ceasefire and the two sides trying to work something out. Things have fallen apart and the two sides are back to striking increasingly sensitive targets and also just broadening their attacks.

Luke Vargas (2:39)

Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth described the troop deaths as stiffening US resolve and said that more American warplanes were being sent to the Middle East. The intensification of fighting is driving up US gasoline prices, which breached the $4-a-gallon threshold this morning, according to AAA. Higher fuel costs are also weighing on airlines, with Ryanair shares slipping 7% and dragging down its European counterparts. The budget airline said its profits slipped because customers worried about high airfares either delayed or refrained from booking trips.

With global stockpiles of interceptors running low, Lockheed Martin is unveiling a new and cheaper version of its Patriot missile system. The company says the new design will set back buyers half as much as its best-selling Patriot variants, which cost more than $4 million around. The new design is set to be unveiled today at Farnborough International Air Show, where I'll be reporting from later in the week.

The FDA is walking back its finding that a nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis that's left thousands ill could be linked to lettuce produced by food giant Taylor Farms. The agency now says that a weekend test of lettuce samples, which led Taylor Farms to initiate recalls of iceberg lettuce grown and processed in Mexico was a positive and that it's yet to identify the presence of cyclospora parasite in produce samples from the company. While future lab tests could still identify the parasite's presence on other samples of Taylor Farms supplied lettuce, the finding is a boost as the company navigates the fallout from the outbreak. Nevertheless, some Americans are shifting their shopping habits with farmers telling North Carolina's WCNC and Tennessee's News Channel Five that they'd seen an uptick in demand for locally grown produce.

SPEAKER_5 (4:32)

I filled a lot of questions on where the stuff come from and how we process it, which we just pick it and bring it direct here.

SPEAKER_6 (4:42)

Normally we will sell out, we'll have a little bit left over by 12 o'clock. We were pretty much sold out by 10

Luke Vargas (4:51)

Well, after more than 100 games, around 300 goals and a dozen or so red cards, the World Cup wrapped up in New Jersey last night with Spain's 1-0 win over defending champions Argentina.