Pentagon Reclassifies Iran War Casualties

The Pentagon has updated its official war casualty database, revealing that more than 600 U.S. service members have been wounded and 18 killed since the war with Iran began in February. The update includes a new category for casualties starting July 7, following the collapse of a cease-fire.

The Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) now distinguishes between those killed and injured during Operation Epic Fury, the initial U.S. military operation, and those affected since the cease-fire collapsed on July 7. According to the updated database, 14 service members were killed and more than 400 wounded during Operation Epic Fury.

The Pentagon's website for military casualties states that four U.S. service members were killed and 207 were wounded in action under the category 'Overseas Operations,' which begins July 7, though it does not explicitly state that those casualties resulted from fighting with Iran. The two categories together list 624 U.S. service members wounded since the war began.

The reason for the distinction between the two sets of casualty figures was not immediately clear. However, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said nearly 100 U.S. service members had suffered some degree of injury since July 7, and that 96% of them had returned to duty. 'Injuries in the military encompass everything from minor sprained ankles during training to incidents entirely unrelated to combat operations,' Parnell said online in response to reporting.

The Pentagon faced accusations of concealing the actual number of service members injured after a New York Times report said dozens of wounded troops had not been included in the official tally. Senate Armed Services Committee Democrats sent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a letter demanding an explanation, stating that 'The American people, Congress, service members and their families are entitled to a full and accurate accounting of the human costs of war.'

As late as Tuesday, the website was reporting the war’s official toll as 18 killed and 482 wounded. By Wednesday, the Iran war figures in the Pentagon’s system fell back to 14 dead and 420 wounded. However, a U.S. official told the Associated Press at the time that the actual number of wounded personnel in the war had grown to well over 500 troops.

Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez argued Thursday that the drop in casualty figures in the online system was not an effort to hide the growing human toll of the war but rather the result of “anomalies” and “temporary data disruptions” that were being resolved “imminently.”

Veterans have criticized the Pentagon's reclassification of casualties, calling it a sign of disrespect for the families of the fallen. Michael E Smith, a retired US rear admiral, stated that claiming the deaths were not a result of the war is 'ludicrous.' The reclassification has also raised questions about accountability and compliance with the War Powers Act.

The change came as Donald Trump once again warned that the US would return to “strong military action” against Iran if diplomatic efforts did not bring a rapid resolution to the crisis in the Middle East. 'We are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,' the US president told Axios on Monday.