Jordan parliament erupts over proposal to honour dead US soldiers

Jordanian lawmakers on Sunday rejected a proposal to offer condolences over the deaths of three US soldiers in a recent Iranian attack, with several MPs condemning Washington as the leading backer of Israel's genocide in Gaza.

MP Ali Al-Khalayla proposed issuing a statement expressing sympathy for the three American troops, prompting an angry outburst in parliament.

Several lawmakers shouted down the proposal, demanding Al-Khalayla leave the chamber. The motion was ultimately rejected, with MPs describing US forces as a "group of murderers" complicit in Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians.

"The Jordanian people are too noble and honourable to offer condolences to the biggest supporter of the Israeli killing machine against our people in Palestine," Bakr al-Kasasbeh, an MP from the Islamist Umma Party, said during the session.

Ahmed al-Raqeb, another Umma Party lawmaker, called for Al-Khalayla's remarks to be removed from the parliamentary record.

The Umma Party, formerly known as the Islamic Action Front, is the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.

It emerged as the largest bloc in parliament following the 2024 election, despite the Brotherhood itself being outlawed in the kingdom in 2025.

Three US troops were killed in an Iranian strike on a military base in Jordan earlier this month. The Pentagon has not released further details about the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The latest deaths bring the number of US military personnel killed in the region since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on 28 February to 18. A further 624 American service members have been wounded.

Since the collapse of the ceasefire two weeks ago, Iran has repeatedly targeted military installations in Jordan, including Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and King Faisal Air Base.